Barbarian's Rage
by thescarletplague
Summary: The tale of Alysanna "Oxblood" through Neverwinter Nights 2. I used my heroes/characters from NWN1 to add more depth to the story of NWN2. Primarily adventure/fantasy, but also riddled with drama, romance and older-teen angst.
1. The Harvest Fair

"You better hurry if you want to catch the fair. Don't forget to trade my furs to Galen."

Alysanna hummed a response to her foster father as she ducked to peek out the window for Bevil and Amie once more.

"Alysanna, are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Ow!" As she turned, the six-foot tall woman's head smacked a wood panel from the roof. Daeghun's stoic face betrayed no concern as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I know. Furs. Galen."

"I will see you at the archery competition." As the moon elf reached for the door, a solid knock came from the other side. Sunlight poured in from behind two human figures, one as tall and stocky as Alysanna herself, the other shorter, and more curvy.

"It's nice to see you again, Farlong." The man, Bevil, said, with too much excitement.

Daeghun gave him a polite smile. "Bevil. Amie. Excuse me." Daeghun said as he walked past them, out towards the village.

Alysanna grabbed the bundled up furs by the leather strap that held them together. Amie's posture deflated as Daeghun vanished out of earshot and she stepped into the house and she shivered. "He gives me the creeps."

Alysanna grinned as she tied the furs to her belt, draping them just so the gleam of her battle axe was hidden beneath.

"Aly, you can't take weapons to the fair." Bevil gestured to her belt, half amused.

"Why not? Amie gets to take her magic."

"That's not the same, and you know it." Amie chimed in.

"Yeah, we got our fists. Without her magic she'd blow away like a dead leaf in the wind." Bevil smirked. Amie whisked a stray golden bang out of her eye and punched Bevil on the arm.

Alysanna rolled her eyes. "Let's go, we're burning daylight." She locked up the house behind them as they started up the path through Daeghun's little patch of farmland towards the bridge that lead to West Harbor.

"How's the competition look this year?" Alysanna asked, knowing that Bevil and Amie had been up for hours already scouting the place out. The three of them always competed together, even when they were all just little tykes running amuck around the swamp. They weren't real competitors back then, but now that Cormick was gone, it seemed everyone in their little village was ready for them to claim their victory.

"For which tourney?" Amie asked, digging her toes into the dirt.

"The only one that matters." Alysanna stretched her back and cracked her neck. Her green eyes swept over the tents and decorated houses to rest on the fighting arena.

"Mossfields currently, or last I checked. No surprise, there." Bevil shrugged. "But Georg says if you're going to compete again this year you can only have one partner in the rink instead of two."

"What?" Amie interjected. "How is that supposed to be fair?" Although she was a magic user, Amie still appreciated the opportunity to swing a club.

Alysanna smirked with pride. The past two years, her growth had spiked for some inexplicable reason. Whenever she tried to pry information from Daeghun about her lineage, he only told her about her mother's: human. He hated repeating himself more than probably anything, but still, when she asked about her father's side, Daeghun patiently told her that he truthfully did not know. And that was all he would say about her mother. Alysanna didn't have any telling unusual features, really. The most unusual thing about her, except for her size which only began to change over the past two years, was the incredible mass of freckles over her cheeks, arms and legs. Her ears were not pointed. Her skin was not toned like those of magical races. Up until her sudden growth spurt, many assumed she was a full blooded human.

Alysanna knew otherwise. She couldn't explain why or how she knew. Humans can't lift a fully loaded cart without breaking a sweat. Humans can't weild halberds and bastard swords with one hand. Most humans, particularly human women, don't spontaneously grow a whole foot of height between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.

There were other things, too. Less obvious things, like her endurance. She could run circles around Georg's militia and still be bouncing while they're on their knees panting and feeding the grass puddles of sweat. Her uncanny ability to, no matter how hard she tries, to get truly lost. Despite having the appearance of a lumbering brute, Alysanna moved with the fine finesse of a wood elf through through trees if she could channel her focus enough.

There were bad traits, too.

The most dangerous of her worst characteristics was, by far, her rage. When she was a child, playing out in the swamp, a frog's tongue had darted out and startled her, which made her lose her balance and fall collapsing to the ground. She ruined her pants and Bevil and Amie had giggled at her, finding her flailing limbs and reddened face to be amusing. Alysanna had no memory of what happened afterward, except seeing red and coming out of it with a mass of two dozen ripped frog carcasses and limbs surrounding her feet.

Daeghun brought her home straight away and began making her a potion to dull her rage, while also hiring the local wizard, Tarmas, to help her cope with it so she could remain in the village. At age thirteen, Alysanna stopped taking the potions. It felt wrong, and the frog incident had long since faded from her memory. One day a farmer, Lewy, a scummy lowlife man she never liked, gave her a look she didn't like and the red vision came back, that time when she snapped out of it, he was cowering beneath her and she had the broken off wooden leg of a stool over her head. She knew in that moment she had every intention of using it to bash his head in and murder him. Because of the way he looked at her. Bevil's hand had grabbed her forearm and she easily shook it off. If Amie hadn't used her magic to create a shield between them, Alysanna would have killed him.

To her surprise, Daeghun did not lecture her about it. He simply continued making the potion for her, and Alysanna never went a day without them again. She even sent Lewy smoked meats and skinned furs for a whole year after wards. Daeghun made her stop sending him goods, telling her that he would never forgive her as long as she kept it up. He never forgave her anyway, but Alysanna couldn't blame him. She could hardly forgive herself.

The brawl at the High Harvest fair was different. It was her favorite tourney and even to her surprise, over the years as she calmed down and the potions began to work their long-term magic, she learned to take the heat of good old fashioned fighting for fun. She won almost every year, of course, but last year she did accidentally hit Wyl Moss too hard and ended up cracking his skull. Fortunately, Brother Merring, the local healer and Priest of Lathander, was nearby to fix him up straight away. After a long talk with Daeghun, Alysanna confessed it was an accident and there was no red sight at all and she truly didn't mean to hurt him. Brother Merring believed her, but apparently Georg decided it would be best to equate her strength as that of two men for the Brawl.

Which did make Alysanna feel good about her unusual strength and size.

"Oh that's alright, we'll let them hold the title for a bit." Alysanna smirked. "I wouldn't be surprised if Wyl didn't even want to get in the ring with me again."

"You shouldn't say stuff like that." Bevil said in a hushed voice. "We know you're not some crazy brute, but you scare people, Aly."

Across the bridge, Alysanna saw a cloaked figure dart away from Georg and towards the mangled trees of the swamp where it disappeared. As the three of them crossed over the bridge, it didn't seem that Bevil or Amie had seen it, and Georg turned to them immediately, almost convincing Alysanna that she had only imagined it.

"Enjoy the time off, Bevil, it's back to training for you tomorrow." He greeted.

"Yes, Sir." Bevil's tone was polite, but Amie noticed the cringe in his neck as the order was given.

"I don't know how you guys do that." Aly shook her head.

"What?"

"Take orders."

"And that's why you failed your training, Oxblood." Georg laughed. Aly rolled her eyes, not understanding the appeal of being in the militia, particularly out in a swamp miles and miles away from Neverwinter or any other big city, where it made more sense to have an organized military. All the same, Georg had become fond of her brute strength during her short time in training. He saw value in her physique, asking her for assistance for hard, manual labor rather than guarding the gates and settling civil disputes.

"The Mossfields have been training hard this year. I think they might actually last a minute or two in the ring this time." Georg said to Bevil."Oh, good. Maybe they'll give us an actual challenge this yar."

Georg smirked at her. "You might be surprised. Also I have to ask, did you bring your potion?"

"Yeah. Don't worry." She dug out the little vial of blue liquid from her pouch and wiggled it in front of him. "Take it right before the brawl, in front of Brother Merring and my opponents."

She didn't like rules, but given her past incidents, she fully understood why it had to be done. Also it strangely made her feel more powerful. As though the only way to give them a fighting chance against her was to dull her abilities down. And yet she still won.

"Which tourney do you guys want to do first?" Alysanna asked.

"Mine." Amie said. "We'll just get it out of the way."

"Yeah, it's not like you have a lot of competition." Bevil teased her, his blue eyes wide as they darted up to Alysanna. "It would be a good strategic move, anyway."

"Are you kidding?" Aly snapped. "She's the only mage between us and Neverwinter, besides Tarmas! She has _no_ competition."

"Exactly."

"Fine. You two go work your magic. I'll take care of Daeghan's furs and the archery competition."

* * *

"Right there. Did you see it?" Vitani nodded, pointing with her oak-brown gaze at the young, but huge red-haired woman.

"I did." Elanee said, watching still as Alysanna and her friends strolled by. "I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the blight, though."

Vitani crouched down in the tree. If she stood still enough, not even Elanee could pick her out. Even after their near-century together, Vitani could still hide from her in the very land they tended together.

"Whatever it is, it's dark magic. And I only know of one source of dark magic around here."

Elanee nodded and the two fell suddenly very quiet. Daeghun's gaze shot right in their direction, his gaze lingered over Vitani but she knew he could not see her. As solid as petrified wood, Vitani remained still, becoming one with the woods, until he looked away.

"Do you think he saw us?" Elanee asked.

"He's suspicious. I've seen him out in the mornings more recently lately. He saw the same tracks that we did. He's on guard." Her gaze narrowed as she looked out across the town, to the swamps on the other side. "Something is going to happen."

"What do you think we should do?"

Before Vitani could answer, they watched Alysanna rapid-fire arrows at standing glass bottles. They shattered into glistening fireworks over the wooden crates and spilled onto the grass below like spring rain.

"She's good."

"Anyone can shoot a still target. She's more skilled with that axe."

"Just what the world needs, more fighters." Elanee sighed. Her fingers brushed the branch of the tree they sat on.

"She's more than a fighter. She's a barbarian."

"Oh, gods."

"And that blonde one, a wizard."

The two of them watched as Amie summoned a wolf out of nothing. Vitani scowled with disgust. She didn't mind Elanee summoning animals, because Elanee just moved them from one location to her location. But wizards conjured them out of nothing. It was unnatural.

"They have no idea. We should tell them."

Vitani shook her head. "They know probably as much as we do. That moon elf is skilled, and the other druids have already warned the farmers. I've got my eye on that barbarian, though, this whole thing seems to be revolving around her."

Elanee's thin eyebrows furrowed. "It is?"

"Look at them. The way they all move around her. The way they all watch her. She has no idea, but, it's almost like they are protecting her."

"Or celebrating her." Elanee offered.

Vitani fell silent with contemplation. Elanee regarded her carefully.

"You can't be thinking that she's disrupted Tasida's crypt..."

"Capable young hero seeking daddy's approval sells her soul to the nine hells for an unnatural amount of strength. Few years go by and the price is evil minions killing her entire villiage. I can't say I have a reason to not suspect her."

A little squirrel darted up the tree and snuggled between them on the branch. Elanee scratched its head and it chittered happily. "That seems a bit far-fetched. She doesn't strike me as evil."

"Good. Evil. It doesn't matter. Whatever it is is affecting the earth and life here, so it must be stopped."

* * *

"You ready to get bloodied up again, Mossfield?" Alysanna swung the training club over her shoulder.

"You wish. We've been waiting for this moment a long time, Oxshit. You're going to pay for what happened last year." Ward spat in her direction.

"I'd like to see you try." Aly laughed.

"Then you wouldn't turn down a bet, would you? Fifty gold says we can take on you and Bevil."

Aly looked over her shoulder at Bevil, who was staring daggers at her, imploring her not to bet. It was against the rules and if Brother Merring found out they could lose the cup entirely.

"It's not a fair fight with me and Bevil. Amie wil be my partner. That should even the odds out for you."

"Ooh, lookie here, boys, the fat giant thinks she can take all three of us!"

"It's muscle, not fat. Not that you'd know the difference."

"Alright, come on, Aly." Bevil started.

"I bet you fifty gold I'll have your asses on the ground before you so much as lay a hand on Amie or Bevil."

Bevil and Amie gawked and threw up their hands. "Aly! Betting is against the rules." He whispered at her like an older sibling warning her, at his eyes darted over to Brother Merring, who was talking to Pitney Lannon in the crowd, their oblivious parent.

Wyl Mossfield locked eyes with Bevil and pouted, "Oh, but Alysanna, Bevil doesn't want to break the rules."

"I don't trust you to pay up anyways."

"Fifty says we get you on the ground crying."

"Let's make it a hundred." Her heart began to pound.

Wyl clasped her hand.

"Oh, gods." Amie sighed.

"Alysanna, what do you think you are-" Bevil started.

"Brother Merring!" Alysanna spun around, plastering a grin across her face. "The Mossfields are ready for another round."

Amie rolled her brown eyes and grabbed the last remaining club from the wooden barrel next to him. Brother Merring's hands were folded in the gold and red long sleeves of his robes as he visibly inhaled and held the breath.

"Alysanna, let me go over the rules before you step into the-"

"One club per person. No excessive beating, only training clubs can be used, and the last one standing wins." She recited, bouncing up and down with excitement. "And this year I can only bring in one partner."

"Very good. Which one of you two is competing with her?"

"Amie." Aly interjected before either could. "Amie is coming in the ring with me."

Bevil shifted uncomfortably. "Aly, I don't think that's a good idea."

Even Brother Merring, who usually kept his face as void of emotion as possible (although, when compared to Daeghun, Brother Merring appeared very expressive) frowned with concern. "Are you certain?" He lingered over Bevil, encouraging him wordlessly to speak up.

"We - we are sure!" Amie pipped up, forcing her smile until it felt natural.

"No magic or ranged weapons." Brother Merring added.

"Right." Amie's pale skin eruptied with blush.

"Stay behind me, you'll be fine." Aly said.

Aly had turned back to Merring and the Mossfields. The three brothers entered the ring and the crowd began cheering for them. Aly gave them a minute to soak up the glory, knowing it would be short lived.

When she entered the ring, with Amie to her right, the cheering intensified.

"Before this brawl can begin, Alysanna if you would, please."

Aly dug the potion out of her pocket and popped the cork off. From the far side of the town she could almost feel Daeghun's eyes watching as she took the whole thing back. Its affect was instant, but she had become so accustomed to it now that she hardly noticed.

Nodding with approval, Brother Merring allowed the brawl begin.

The Mossfield brothers charged at Aly, Wyl's club held over his head, yelling. She moved on the balls her feet, dodging his swing. Thrusting out with the tip of the club, Alysanna pegged Ward right in the gut, knocking the wind from him. His club splashed down into the muddy ground with a dull splat as he grabbed his stomach. Ward rushed at her.

Webb cornered Amie, who managed barely hold her club steady enough to redirect two of his jabs. He slammed the weapon over her fingers, smashing them. Amie cried out as she dropped her club and her fingers went numb. Webb slammed his club into her belly, making her double over.

The sound caught Aly's attention. It wasn't the heavy thud of a blunt object making contact, it was...

"Hey!" Bevil screamed from the sidelines. Aly spun around from fighting off a straggling Wyl enough to see Amy puke up blood on Webb's shoes. "CHEATER!" Bevil screamed, climbing into the ring, he lunged at Webb, tackling him into the mud.

Aly slammed her hand down on Ward's shoulder before Wyl rushed at her. "Wait," she said to him, distracted by Amie, but he lifted his club to attack, Aly grabbed his forearm and lifted him off of the ground. He screamed in pain as a horrific rip came from his arm and he uselessly kicked at her shins. Amie crawled towards the edge of the ring, towards Brother Merring, who waited with outstretched hands to heal her. There was blood all over her robe. She had been stabbed. As Aly stared at the growing red spot, her heart pounded harder. The edges of her vision began to blur.

"Stop! What is this?" Brother Merring yelled once he got a look at Amie. White light glowed from his hands over her stomach, healing her.

Aly dropped Wyl then pulled Bevil off of Web, who had begun to bleed from the skull. "Move." She shoved Bevil and picked up the bleeding Webb, rushing him over to Merring. He touched Webb's head, the white light sealing up where Bevil had split his scalp.

Wyl had picked up Webb's club, but Aly yanked it out of his hand. There was no way a club could have made Amie spit up blood and bleed like that. She would know, if she couldn't do that, there was no way a puney pipsqueak like Webb could. She looked at the tip of the club and found a small slit. She pressed on the handle and a blade flicked out of it.

"You STABBED her!" Aly yelled, turning her gaze at Webb, who had only just began to gain consciousness back.

"She will be fine." Brother Merring said in his nonchalant, calming voice. "I have healed her and they have been disqualified. You win. It is done."

Webb's face went white as linen as Aly stared at him. Her heart slammed in her chest. All along she thought the Mossfields and her were just having friendly competition!

"Aly, stop." Bevil said.

"I'm okay." Amie assured her. "It's okay, it's fine. It was probably an accident!" She stuck her finger through the hole in her shirt, her voice heavy with desperation.

Alysanna realized everyone in the crowd had taken about three steps back and she could hear Wyl crying, sobbing, muttering something. Brother Merring had entered the ring and Webb's face erupted with sweat.

"What?" Aly asked.

The silence was palpable, it seemed the whole fair was waiting for her to do something.

"Alysanna." Daeghun's arid voice came. Calm, collected, and obnoxious. "Put the boy down."

She looked over and saw Wyl's neck in her fist, hoisted into the air again. He was sniffling pathetically, horrified. She dropped him, then thrust her fists into the air.

"YEAH! WE WIN! That's what I'm talking about!" She slapped Bevil's back with an open palm in celebration, as the crowd of harbormen and farmers closed around them, cheering, the violence of the brawl now vanished in the air like fog in sunlight.

"Let's go tell Georg!"

"Let's wait for Amie to be able to stand." Bevil reached out to help Amie to her feet.

"Mead is on me!" Alysanna yelled, tossing her club into the air. Brother Merring watched as it, with mild annoyance, fell down on top of Ian's head as Aly, overwhelmed with joy, bolted to grab mugs of the seasonal, delicious harvest mead.

"Is that better?" Brother Merring asked Amie, whose natural glow returned to her skin after the sickly pale of blood loss. Amie all but jumped up back on her feet. Bevil rushed to her side and threw her arm over his neck.

"Much, thank you, Brother Merring."

"We better go catch up to Aly." Bevil said, his face red as he avoided Brother Merring's neutral stare. Behind Bevil and Amie, the Mossfields were slinking out from the crowd.

"And I have to go catch the Mossfields. That was completely out of line. Congratulations again."

Bevil helped Amie balance as they walked down the dirt road towards the cart full of kegs of mead. All they could make out of Alysanna was her long red braid swinging as she downed mug after mug.

"I'm sorry I... we couldn't get to you in time." Bevil said.

"It's fine. Thank the gods Brother Merring started over seeing the brawl."

"Yeah, but still. Aly and I said we would-"

Amie stopped her dizzy shuffling and turned to look at Bevil, her hand rested on his chest. "Really, Bevil. It's okay. You had no idea they'd do something like that and if it were a real, true threat, it never would have happened. I know that."

The warrior wasn't so certain, but Amie's faith convinced him enough for now. She blushed, feeling like she'd been staring at him for too long, and dropped her arm to keep walking.

Just as Bevil's face reddened from her tone, Alysanna came roaring down the dirt road, hands full of mugs, her face split in half from a wide, toothy grin.

"Cheers!" She yelled, shoving two mugs she had in one hand in Bevil's chest. "One of those is for Amie." She added hastily.

"I don't think Amie should..."

"CHEERS!" Alysanna repeated, then downed the whole contents of her mug. Trails of dark red liquid leaked down her neck. She wiped the foam from her lips and burped. She punched Amie lightly on the arm. "The faster you drink it, the faster the bad taste goes away." She winked at her.

"Gather 'round, folks!" Georg callled from behind them on the stage.

"That's our queue." Bevil said.

"Come on!" Alysanna saw that neither Bevil nor Amie had so much as sipped the mead she brought them. She didn't want to keep the crowd waiting and it was clear that Amie was sill healing from the attack at the brawl. She decided to help by picking up Amie and running towards the stage.

"Ah! Aly, the mead!" She cried out, giggling as it spilled on her dress.

"Come on, Bevil!" Aly yelled over her shoulder.

As the three of them got up on the little makeshift stage platform, a familiar eerie silence fell over the crowd as Georg continued his annual speech. "Nineteen years ago toay, we came under attack. The blood and bodies of the fallen fed our farmland as we triumphed over them and rebuilt our villiage, stronger and better than before!"

The crowd cheered. Alysanna wondered how many of them actually were there to witness the attack.

"And to be sure that never happens again, we keep the young ones strong by competing for the Harvest cup. Now, I present to you this year's champions for not just three, but all four tourneys! Three cheers for our champions! Hip-hip! Hooray..."

* * *

"So," Alysanna threw her arms over her friends. An empty mug slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a hollow thud. She leaned into Bevil as she started, "Tomorrow, you become Georg's right hand man." She leaned into Amie, who was now all healed up from the brawl. "And you take over the magic shop while Tarmas goes on his little adventure. And I," she stood up and put her fists on her hips. "Have finally decided where I am going."

"You sure you won't be changing your mind in the morning?" Bevil asked with amusement at his drunk friend.

"I'll be heading to Luskan."

Amie and Bevil exchanged a glance. Amie saw his jaw clench and anger cross over his face before he spun around, shrugging Aly off of him so he could look her square in the eye.

"What?"

"Luskan!" Bevil snapped. "Why would you want to go to such a lawless place?"

"Because I would make an awesome mercenary."

"Yeah, okay. Until someone gets a better mercenary to kill you!" He scowled at her.

Amie put her hand on his arm, a weak attempt to calm him down as the vein in his neck began to throb and he took on a tickle-me-pink shade.

"Bevil, there is nothing for me here. You're running a militia, Amie's taking over the apothecary. I'm not a ranger, farmer or a druid."

"You can still hunt."

"Totally. I blend right in with the trees."

Amie burst into giggles. Bevil shot a glare at her and yanked his arm away. Catching her breath, Amie suggested, "well, what about Neverwinter, then?"

Aly rolled her green eyes. "Ugh. It would take me years with all those goody-two-shoes passing through. I need danger. I need the risk. I need to grow and make a name for myself."

Bevil and Amie started to argue the point again, but stopped as Orlen brought them another round of mead. A knowing silence overcame the three of them as they all avoided eye contact. Amie's slender fingers drummed on her mug before she hoisted it up into the air between them.

"To new beginnings." She toasted.

"And old friends," Aly added.

Amie looked at Bevil. "Come on, you can't leave us hanging like this."

The warrior looked at Amie for a long time then smiled, clashing his mug with theirs. "To old friends and new beginnings!" He added. He and Alysanna threw their mugs back while Amie took a bitter mouthful and slowly swallowed.

Aly wiped the excess off of her neck and scanned her eyes around for Orlen, wanting more.

Bevil gasped, surprised at himself that he had drunk all of his.

"Oh, come on, Bevil, Luskan isn't-" Alysanna began, but she realized he wasn't paying any attention to her when he suddenly grabbed Amie by the arm, pulled her body against his, and kissed her right on the lips.

A woman whom Aly had never seen before walked by carrying a tray of mugs and Aly snatched two from it, while watching Amie's face morph from shock to joy. When they finished kissing and both of their faces went bright red, Aly handed the second mug to Bevil and knocked hers into it again for the second cheer that evening.

"It's about time."


	2. Attack on West Harbour

"Alysanna! Wake up!"

Two heavy fists pounded on her door, waking Aly from her dreams of adventure to come. A thick cloud of smoke filled her nose as she unlocked the door and Amie and Bevil rushed in.

"The villiage is under attack! West harbor is under attack!" He yelled. "Grab your weapons."

"Some of them saw us, they're bound to hit us here next." Amie commented as Aly swung open her armoire and grabbed her favorite axe. She flopped it down on the bed and pulled out her hide armor, yanking it over her cotton pajamas.

"Can you at least try not to look so... excited?" Amie scowled at her. "Our neighbors are dying."

Alysanna's silver battle axe gleamed in her hands. "Let's go then."

A cold shiver ran up Bevil's spine. Aly's voice had deepened, and playful undertones bit into her words as she stared at the door at the bottom of the staircase with sadistic pleasure radiating from her green gaze. As she walked past Bevil and Amie, her lips began to stretch into a smile.

"Stay behind me." Bevil whispered to Amie. "Don't leave my side for any reason."

Before she could respond, Aly had swung the door to the living room wide open and Bevil ran down the stairs. Amie had to lift her skirts to catch up to them. The cotton clung stubbornly to her skin by a slick layer of sweat. Moments before the attack began, Bevil and her had been tangled together. It was upsetting that he still insisted on her hanging back, like a fragile doll that needed constant protection. He had no appreciation for her arcane talents.

The front door of Aly's house exploded open. Three short men, dwarves, burst inside. Silver daggers shined in the dim light as they rushed towards them.

Alysanna let out a bloodthristy roar and swung her axe, slicing one of them clean in half. Blood sprayed into the air, coating the animal furs of her armor. Red streaks colored the enchanted beast skull that rested over her shoulder. As she yanked her axe out of the limp body, the second intruder ran past her to Bevil, who jabbed his sword right into its chest. He had been aiming for its gut. With its last gaping breath, the dwarf flung its arm up and stabbed his knife into Bevil's thigh, then pulled it out.

Amie threw her arm out towards the last dwarf, freezing its feet to the ground. Aly's axe came down on its arm, lopping it off as it thunked to the wooden floorboards before she cleaved its head in two.

"Come on, babe, you'll be fine." Amie muttered to Bevil as she waved her hands over his leg and the wound sealed up. "I'm no healer, but-"

"This is bad." Aly interrupted them. "Be quiet a minute. Listen."

Screams filled the air outside. A building collapsed in the distance, Amie guessed it was the storage shed they kept their food stores in.

"We have to go!" Bevil said in a forced whisper.

"Two seconds." Aly ran up the stairs to Daeghun's room and returned with a backpack. "Healing potions. Daeghun's been hoarding them, told me where it was in case of emergencies. I thought he was crazy, but whatever. Can you walk yet?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bevil said.

Outside, Daeghun's trading wagon was up in flames, more dwarf corpses laid around it, their skin bubbling from the heat.

"You're safe!" Brother Merring stood around the corner of her home, bodies of harbormen laid on the ground around him. "I saw them enter your home, I hope they didn't give you much trouble. I'm tending to the wounded. Here, take these." He shoved green glowing vials into Amie's hands. "So you can help Georg with the militia, heal any wounded that can help. He's at the bridge-"

"BEVIL!" A resounding voice yelled, followed by clashes of steel and bursts of white noise echoing across the field. Magic users.

"Amie, focus on the casters, let Bevil and me get the rest." Aly instructed as she ran towards Georg's voice.

* * *

Not far from Alysanna's home, cloaked by the smoke rising up through the trees, Vitani and Elanee watched the destruction. The smoke had stung Elanee's light brown eyes a bit, but Vitani could still see clearly through it all.

"They're going to survive. This isn't a serious attack. They're looking for something." Vitani reported.

"Do you know what it is?"

Vitani was quiet for a long moment, her eyes darting from bands of the invaders to Alysanna's loud, rage-fuled fighting. "No, and it's not important." She decided.

Bewildered, Elanee gawked at her. "Not important?"

"Whatever they are looking for, it is not here. They are getting impatient and they will leave once they realize that. The land will heal, as it always does."

"Except that scar." Elanee interjected, doubtful as she stared at a black mark near the crossroads. It bloomed out, like settled ash after an explosion.

"I've felt this before." Vitani crouched low on the tree branch. Elanee began to sense it, too, black tingles prickled up her arms as an enchanted being began to form in the center of the village. White orbs gyrated around the tall, green being as it came into existence.

A balding man stepped before it, his staff at the ready, shooting methodical magics at the monster. Vitani knew him as Tarmas, many years ago their paths had crossed. He was only a child, then. Still, it was surprising to see him aging and living in a swamp, by choice.

"Githyanki." Vitani muttered, then turned to Elanee, grabbing her arms. "I have to go. Keep an eye on the barbarian. I will find you."

"What? What are you-"

"Family stuff. It's probably nothing, but I want to be certain. I need to find Abalyth."

"Your sister? You two haven't spoken in decades!" Elanee cried.

Vitani's barkskin hands grabbed Elanee's long face and pulled her into a deep kiss. "I love you, and I will find you after I talk to Abalyth. Don't interfere with this until you hear from me."

Ultimately, Elanee trusted Vitani enough to know that would happen. She turned her attention back to the battle while her Wild elf lover dissipated into the earth. Alysanna, Bevil and Amie had spotted Tarmas battling the githyanki. Concern pooled into Elanee's gut, forming into a heavy riverstone.

* * *

"Master, we can help!" Amie rushed forward, despite Tarmas' warnings.

The strange monster spoke in a language they didn't understand. Sweating, fueled by the adrenaline of the battle, Amie threw magic missles at the beast. Bevil and Aly stood behind her, hacking away at the onslaught of dwarves and bladelings. Bevil looked at her from over his shoulder as her purple missles dissipated into the monster's sheild.

"Aly!" He screamed, and began running towards Amie.

"Busy!" Aly yelled back at a dwarf grabbed the end of her braid and tried to pull her down to the ground. She hacked off his arms.

"ALY!" Bevil screamed again. The monster formed two burning spheres floating in the air around itself. They bubbled with heat. With another strange chant, the orbs flew across the sky towards Amie.

"Amie!" Bevil's voice cracked as he ran towards her. His sword fell to the ground as Amie stood, frozen in terror. The orange glow reflected in her eyes as they both hit her in the chest, knocking her backwards.

Bevil caught her. "You're okay, you're okay." He said.

A deafing, loud scream from Alysanna pierced the sky. Everything seemed to stop. Bevil looked down at Amie's limp body. Her dress was red, now. It was white, or just slightly off-white before, maybe. Had she changed after they were together?

Alysanna ran past him in an auburn blur, her axe over her head at the beast.

"I am going to RIP YOU APART!" She screamed at it, foaming at the mouth, her eyes dazzling red like rubies beaming pure hatred at Amie's murderer. It muttered something again, and then it was gone.

Alysanna's axe struck only the grass where it had stood. Screaming with fury, her rampage burst in all directions. Villagers, even the fighting ones, stepped back as she ran, hacking and ravaging every being that stood in her way.

"Get up." Tarmas said to Bevil. "You need to help the village, there's nothing you can do for her now."

Bevil's face pressed against Amie's neck, sobbing. He didn't care what Tarmas said. It all seemed so meaningless.

Frustrated, Tarmas threw his arms in the air. "Fine. Let me save the village again. I'm getting too blasted old for this."

Georg had nearly made a misstep into Aly's rage and lost his head. "Oxblood!" He used his authoritative voice, and when she ignored him and he spotted the glowing red in her eyes he understood and looked around the village. He spotted Bevil cradling Amie's bloodied body.

"Oh, gods." He ran towards him. He saw Amie's lifeless body and how Bevil was clutching it, clinging to her. This wasn't the time. Amie wasn't the only one lost to these intruders. "On your feet, soldier." He ordered.

Bevil slowly got up, more out of the mindless habit than out of desire. "Your village is under attack. We stand to lose many more than our young wizard if we don't hold the line. And if someone doesn't talk Oxblood down. Can you do that?"

Bevil shook his head, not taking his eyes off Amie's lifeless body. Blood was beginning to soak into her hair. Her hands looked pale.

Georg stepped between them, cutting off Bevil's view. "We need you, Bevil. After we beat these invaders back you can grieve in peace, and take as much time as you need. But for now we have to deal with this."

Bevil said nothing.

"That's an order." Georg pressed.

"Yes, sir." Bevil said. He straightened up and tried to focus on the matter at hand.

"First order, go talk Alysanna down before she accidentally kills half of her neighbors."

"Yes, sir." Bevil, forcing himself not to look at Amie, picked up his sword and followed the blended screams of the enemy and villagers. By the time he reached Alysanna, her rage was expended and she stood panting, still pissed.

Fluid and bits of flesh stuck to her cheeks and chin. Bevil scowled with confused disgust.

"They got my axe, so I had to use my hands and teeth." She explained, then spat black blood onto the ground.

"That cannot be good for you." He said, then laughed. He didn't know why, or even what had caused it. Maybe he was losing his mind.

"Nevermind me." She spotted Ian from across the village clubbing a dwarf just as it stabbed him in the chest over and over.

"Alysanna..." Webb stumbled toward them, limping, several strands of cloth wrapped around his thigh. "They got the jump on me. Can you help-"

Aly punched him in the face. He stumbled back, but regained his balance, then Aly punched him again until he fell on the ground. Bevil screamed at her to stop as she straddled him, wrapping one hand around his neck.

"Amie is dead." Aly leaned in close, almost whispering to him. "You arranged this attack, didn't you, you no-good-"

Bevil threw himself between them, prying Aly off of Webb. His face had started turning red. "This isn't helping, Alysanna. Killing him won't bring Amie back."

"He wanted her dead, and now she is. Doesn't that seem a little suspicious to you?"

"We - did NOT! We knew Merring would be there to heal her. It was a joke!" Wyl said through a violent cough.

"We don't have time for this," Bevil snatched a potion from Aly's backpack and tossed it to him. "There. That's all you get. I better see you out there fighting, Wyl, or so help me-"

"They are preparing for a second attack." Daeghun said, miraculously appearing behind Aly and Bevil. "Go to Georg."

Aly glared at Wyl over her shoulder before following Bevil back to Georg.

The second wave did come, and with a few more losses, the militia and Alysanna had beaten them back. Georg shouted orders and encouragement until this throat bled with rawness. Alysanna had only barely begun to sweat when Daeghun's arrow pierced the skull of the last invading dwarf.

"Gather the wounded and the dying!" Georg ordered. He cleared his throat with a dry, gutteral hack.

Alysanna approached Brother Merring, who had come running after the battle was finished, and handed him her pack full of the remaining healing potions. "It's not much, but I know you must be getting drained."

"Bless you." He said, taking it gratefully.

Aly hadn't escaped the battle woundless, but it was only when the monsters ganged up on her that they were even a match. She kept a more powerful potion in a canteen and had been taking swigs of it throughout the battle. This one, she wasn't going to share. It cost her a few years of savings to even get Brother Merring to make it for her, and she had intended to use it only for emergencies on her road to Luskan.

She spotted Bevil's greatsword on the grass, then scanned around for him. It didn't take her long to spot him walking towards Amie's corpse, and slowly, her own grief began to sink in. Bevil collapsed on the ground next to her, his body shrinking into a fetal position. Tarmas approached and sat down with them. He spoke, Aly could see his lips moving, but he was too far away to listen to.

"I understand she was a promising mage." Daeghun said, suddenly next to her, and Aly jumped. "A tragedy."

Catching her breath, Alysanna understood that this was Daeghun's version of offering his empathy, and nodded. "Thanks. But I have a feeling you're about to tell me this isn't the end of whatever the hells just happened."

"What I am about to tell you must remain in the strictest of secrecy."

His voice began to grate at Aly, but she nodded in understanding.

"They were looking for a silver shard. I've hidden it in the old crypts deep into the swamp. I need you to go retrive it, then take it to my half-brother, Duncan in Neverwinter."

"Why?"

"I know it's magical but I don't know what powers it possesses. If those creatures came looking for it, they will probably come back."

Annoyed, as Aly always was when given any set of instructions by anyone, she grit her teeth. "Why?"

"Because they sense it is near, and as long as it is here, West Harbor is in danger, and the attacks will only get worse. Take it far away from here."

Aly shrugged, sarcastic thick on her tongue. "How about I just toss it into the ocean?"

"Retrieve it." Daeghun repeated. "You might want to take Bevil with you. It might be dangerous."

Alysanna looked out in the direction of the ancient crypts. Her whole life, Daeghun had forced her to stay away from them. Now he wanted her to go snorting through them like a truffle pig to find some stupid shard. Even with the moonless night, deep into the woods, off the beaten path, the trees seemed to be swallowed up by darkness. A fleeting thought passed through her heart. How many more times will she be stepping into the dark?


	3. The Old Crypts

Bevil's sniffling became annoying not long into the thicket of the swamp, but Aly dared not say a word. She wondered often why she, herself, couldn't bring herself to cry. She felt sad, but she suspected that indulging in the sadness would trigger another rage.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked Bevil.

"N-no." He wiped his nose. "Gods, no. Why are we here?"

"I have to get some silver shard. Daeghun says it's magical, probably brought the monsters here. Wants me to take it to my uncle Duncan in Neverwinter and have it looked at."

Yeah, sure, Daeghun told her it was supposed to be under the strictest of secrecy, but if he really wanted her to keep it a secret he should have told her to tell the world about it. Honestly, not knowing her personality at this point was just plain negligent.

"Oh." Was all Bevil could think to say.

At last, they found the lemon-lime glow nearby of that strange preserved land where the path picked up and led to the crypts. As they stepped up onto the dry land, and confirmed there were no enemies or monsters within immediate range, Aly unhooked her boots from her belt and dried off her feet with a cloth before putting them back on.

"Someone ought to make waterproof boots." Bevil said with frustration as he buckled his back on.

Aly drew her axe at the ready as they began down the path.

"Does something not seem… right to you?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you feel that? That sense that… I don't know, someone's watching us, or there's something, maybe, magical going on here?"

A few skittering, giant swamp beetles charged at them from down the path. They were easy to kill, but that sound of their legs made Aly's neck cringe.

"No." She said after a while. "Not new, anyway. This place has always felt like that to me."

"Hey, look." Bevil pointed off to the west where it looked like someone had set up a camp. A long fur hung over some sturdy sticks, and beneath it a plain looking box without a lock. Aly knelt down in front of it. "Aly! Don't, come on, what if it's a trap, or if they come back?"

Staring at him from over her shoulder, she flicked the lid open. Nothing happened. "Oh, no. I'm so scared." She said sarcastically.

Bevil shook his head in disapproval as she looked inside, and pulled out a small bag with a long shoulder strap, intended to be worn across her body. Disappointed, Aly looked into the chest again, but nothing else was there. She opened it; it was empty.

"Here, you can have it." She tossed it to Bevil. "You can probably fit a potion or two in it. Might save your life."

Bevil didn't want it, but the design of it caught his eye. The fringes, the buckle. This little pouch felt familiar to him. He opened it and felt the smooth leather, and the very light tingles of the magic charm which enchanted it. He wouldn't have even thought to reach out and feel it if Amie hadn't exposed him to so much of it. Magic was like a whole hidden world to Bevil... a world to which Amie had been a portal for him to understand, or at least know more about it.

"Aly, do you know what this is?"

"A coin purse." She said, unimpressed.

He smiled, and Aly became encouraged now that he at least had something small to take his mind off of Amie. Even if it was just a tiny bag that couldn't carry anything. "Let me see your axe." He reached his hand out. "Trust me."

"Okay…" Aly said slowly, handing it over. Bevil dropped it into the coin purse, which swallowed it up without any resistance, and without changing its size. "What just happened?"

"It's a bag of holding!" Bevil said, excited. "This thing won't change its size, you can put anything in it and it will hold it AND it won't weigh anything. There's only…" His voice trailed off, suddenly suspicious. "There's only a couple in the whole world."

"Sweet. Lucky me!" She snatched it away from him and tied the long strap around her belt. She didn't want to wear it across her body and risk it slowing down her swings or getting caught on something.

"Aly, doesn't that make you just a little suspicious?"

She opened the pouch and pulled her axe back out of it. She shrugged. "Not really. You shouldn't leave your valuables around if you don't want them to get taken."

"That's what I mean." He said, as the two began walking once more down the path. "That chest wasn't even locked! Or trapped. Like someone, I don't know, maybe put it there knowing we'd find it?"

"What if we didn't look in the box?"

"I don't know, they'd put it in another box?"

"That seems a bit unlikely."

"More unlikely than finding one of the rarest objects in the whole world here in our swamp?" He pressed, his brown eyes pleading with her to see reason.

She couldn't hide the annoyance. "Yeah, way more unlikely."

Giving up, they pressed on.

* * *

Abalyth peered over the mess of papers on her desk with her strange, bright blue eyes. They were riddled with ink, hand-drawn pictures and detailed words of attacks and strange happenings from the past six or so months. There was something odd about them, something she couldn't quite place her finger on, and it was beginning to drive her mad. It took a lot of frustration to make a celestial being feel the pangs of insanity.

Abalyth was an Aasimar. When lined up with her two half-sisters, no one would tell that the three of them were related at all. Abalyth, the eldest, with her shimmering silver hair, pale-white skin and glowing blue eyes. Vitani, the middle child, a wild elf with oaky-green skin, mahogany eyes and green-gold hair. Then, the youngest.

Abalyth shook her head as she remembered Tasida. The gray-skinned, white-eyed, black-haired Tiefling. The way she had grinned at her before being trapped in that cavern all of those lifetimes ago.

By their very existence, trapped in their immortal bodies, the three of them told the tragic tale of a goddess, their mother, and her descent into madness.

Abalyth laughed and threw her face into her hands. _Maybe that's what's happening to me_. _Like mother, like daughter._

Their ancient mother passed into the Astral Plane long ago. Her last hope for revival had rested with Abalyth, but after the Wailing Death plagued Neverwinter, Abalyth rejected her mother for the favor of Tyr. It served her well then, and does now still. She was Neverwinter's Champion, earned the ear and trust of Lord Nasher Alagondar himself. She had even served as a member of the Nine for a few years, but ultimately, her place was among the people.

Sighing, and shoving her family issues aside, Abalyth stood up and began to pace around her office. Her eyes fell upon a petrified fenberry that sat on her bookshelf. Fenberries had become a rarity along the sword coast. Vitani had petrified that one for her the last time they saw each other. "Take this," she had said, working her nature magic on the green berry as it dulled and hardened. "In case the time comes when you need me."

She took a deep breath and went to it, lifting the glass cover that kept it preserved. It glowed faintly as she touched it.

"Vitani," she spoke. "Something is happening. I need your help."

* * *

Alysanna stared down at the lopped-off head of the giant lizard man, then to Bevil.

"What in the flying fuck is that?" She gawked. Its tongue hunt out of its mouth, dead eyes staring up at her.

"Lizard man?" Bevil guessed.

It had been a while since she had been to this part of the swamp, but it still seemed a stretch that a lizard would take up in a swamp.

"There's more." Bevil nodded and Aly looked out to where his eyes had pointed. There was the crypt, but it looked different. For one thing, the entrance had been unsealed. The torches lit up around it, and there were five more of those giant lizard men guarding the door. One of them looked like a caster.

"How are we going to do this?" Bevil asked, "can we even take them?"

"Of course we can. I can take them all myself."

"Aly they're about as big as you, and that one probably has magic-"

But before he could talk her out of it, she was already running at them. He took a moment to hold his head in his hands and sigh with frustration before drawing his sword and running after her. Aly was roaring and grunting as she threw her axe about, hacking apart the hissing creatures. She had already killed three by the time Bevil got in, and all that was left was the caster, who quickly froze Aly's feet to the ground, stopping her.

"Ah, shit." She said as the cold crept up her shins.

"NO!" Bevil screamed, then ran his blade through the creature's stomach. The ice around Aly's feet vanished as the caster died. He was panting, sweating as his sword fell to the rocky path. Anger was bubbling up inside of him.

"Oh man, that was close!" Aly laughed, then patted his shoulder.

Bevil grabbed her arm and twisted it, shocking her into silence. "You LISTEN! You almost DIED just now. You have GOT to stop being so ARROGANT. I'm not going to lose you, too, Aly, I can't, I won't, please just let's go slow through this crypt we don't know what's in there and Daeghun will kill me if I let you die out here please just calm-"

He was sobbing so hard now that Alysanna couldn't even understand what he was saying.

"Hey, hey, I'm alright, I'm not going to let some-"

"We do this MY way." Bevil pushed. "Your way sucks. It's ineffective and it's going to get you killed. We need plans and we need methods and we need strategy. We don't know what the fuck is in there but I'm not going to let you just hurl yourself with your swinging axe into more mobs of things that are going to kill you."

Aly raised her eyebrows doubtfully and looked away. She pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "We can try things your way, but I can't make any promises."

* * *

Elanee watched, smiling, from behind the crypt as the two warriors entered. Their little exchange had warmed her heart, though she worried that man might not be capable of the dangers of travel. He seemed more fit for a militia. He wasn't her concern. She climbed on top of the crypt door, a hard stone rectangle that jutted from the earth and waited there for them to come out. She had no doubt they'd be able to handle the lizard men inside, though she hoped they would at least make attempts at diplomacy before ravaging them. The lizard folk were having enough issues.

She heard the skittering of spider legs approach the crypt before she saw them. A giant, glowing yellow and black body with smooth long legs. She knew this spider had been corrupted by something evil. It moved its frontmost legs around the area where Alysanna and her friend had stood just moments before, seemingly eating little grains of sand from the path, making chittering noises before turning around and heading back towards where it came from.

Squinting into the fog and darkness, Elanee could make out a second crypt. A larger one, like a giant, round castle tower.

It was enveloped in blackness, and she could feel the evil seeping off of it.

* * *

"Well, that's… anti-climatic." Bevil said, staring at the glowing silver shard in Aly's hand.

"Oh, also, you should know Daeghun told me not to tell anyone about this." Aly said, shaking it as she spoke to punctuate each word.

Bevil looked around, confused. "So why'd you tell me?"

Aly shrugged, "I never do what I'm told." She dropped the shard into her bag of holding and they set off back towards the village, stepping over the mangled corpses of lizard men.


	4. Kalach-Cha

"The shard, let me see it." Daeghun instructed, and for the first time ever, Alysanna noticed a very slight gleam of greed in his eyes. She fished it out of her bag and held it out to him, but he didn't touch it. "I wanted to make sure you got the right one. Take this to-"

"Neverwinter, to your brother Duncan. I remember." Alysanna put it back in the bag.

"Good. Now say your farewells and get going, your road is long and the more you dally about here the more trouble you bring."

Aly stared at him for a long moment as all of the events from the past few hours began to sink in. She waited for him to say something, anything, that would indicate a fragment of affection that he was sending her away, presumably for a long time. But he only stared back with that cool, detached stare.

"Oh, another thing." He finally said. Aly brightened up for a cautious moment. "I sent out a false trail about the route you are taking. You will go through High Cliff and take a ship to Neverwinter, it's faster, and with the enemy thinking you're taking the road it will give you a good advantage over them."

There it was. She smiled at him, it was a small thing, but it was exactly the sort of indication of affection she could expect from him. "Thank you." She beamed as she threw her arms around him. His body turned to stone as he rigidly patted her back. "Go now, my daughter."

Aly spoke first to Bevil. While they had been exploring the ruins, the villagers had buried the bodies, starting with Amie's, and they left a little headstone that Bevil now stared at. Aly stood next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"We were together, you know." He said, his voice lost and solemn. Aly didn't say anything. "We were always together, sort of. We didn't have to talk about it, we both just sort of knew. And of course, the day we finally break the silence…"

He sighed. "So, you're heading to Neverwinter, then?"

"Yeah, it seems so."

"Well it's better than Luskan." he retorted. Aly chuckled, not having the heart to tell him that she only intended to drop off the shard. She didn't know what magical crap was going on, and she didn't care, and the sooner she got rid of the damn thing, the sooner she could get on with her life of adventure and excitement.

"Yeah, I'm gonna sell some of this stuff to Tarmas I think, get some money for the road."

"You can take my share of the loot." He said. Aly already had all of the loot in her bag, since it was enchanted and didn't weigh anything.

"Thanks." She said, and realized he needed more time alone with Amie. "I'm going to ask around and say my farewells, I'll save you for last."

He only nodded, the scene was making her a little uncomfortable, as though she was invading on an intimate moment, and she headed first to Georg.

"I hear you're heading off to Neverwinter, Oxblood." He beamed. "It'll be good for you, but you better listen to the militia there, they aren't as lenient as me."

She smiled back at him. "Good, they'll be more fun to disobey, then."

"Here, take this." He pulled the shield off of his back and handed it to her. "I'll bet you're going to come across a lot of stuff on the road, and even if you can't quite figure out how to use it or if you just don't like it, maybe it'll bring you some gold."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." She stuffed it in the bag. Georg gawked at the image- a tiny coinpurse expanding to stretch over the circumference of the metal shield, then closing. Aly supposed she could have just carried it, this bag was going to get her a lot of attention.

"Good luck out there, Oxblood. And make sure to come back and visit every now and then, once you finish up with whatever it is you're doing."

"I will." She promised.

Brother Merring gave her a healing chalice. Rhetta Starling, Bevil's mother, asked her to look into the disappearance of Bevil's older brother, Lorne, who vanished after heading off to Luskan. Before helping her unload all her loot, Tarmas gave her a magical rod of frost. Before handing it over, he smiled at it fondly.

"Even a person with no magical skill can use it, and it has unlimited uses. It was a gift from my teacher, Jaroo, from the Neverwinter Academy, once I completed my training. Please don't sell it. If you find yourself wanting to be rid of it, bring it back and I'll make it worth your while." He had said. She scribbled a note to herself in her journal.

With her pockets full of gold, and no one left to say goodbye to, Alysanna turned to face the road out of West Harbor. Bevil slowly walked over, looking much more composed this time around.

"Hey, do something for me?"

"Sure," Aly said. He turned to face her now.

"If you find that thing that killed Amie, stick a blade through its heart for me."

"Do it yourself." Aly said, not really thinking about her words. Bevil frowned at her. "I mean… come with me. Please? Just to Neverwinter, then you can come back. Georg can't be that…"

But Bevil was shaking his head. "I wish I could, but come on. I'm not like you. I'll freeze up and die out there."

Aly sighed sadly. He was right, and she didn't even know why she bothered to ask. Instead, she reached her arms around Bevil and for the first time that night, pangs of agony and loss rippled through her and she began to cry. For Amie, for Bevil, for her own journey about to unfold before her.

* * *

When she saw the sign for the Weeping Willow Inn Alysanna nearly screamed in triumph. Her feet ached from walking and trudging through the swamp, falling off the path. All the while she had only run into a handful and a half of swamp beetles. She learned from Amie a long time ago how to remove their glands, which could be used for crafting. Stopping to gather them was probably wasting a lot of time, but she could use all the gold she could get her hands on.

Aly wasn't really worried about the monsters following her anyway.

Finally, she spotted the small inn in the distance down the path. A warm, yellow light surrounded it like a firefly's glow. The path began to smooth out, she found herself hoping and praying they had ale. Then she hoped the inn was far enough from West Harbor for her to stop and rest without bringing in more trouble. She'd head out early in the morning, just to be safe.

"Now that we're outside, maybe you want to say that again to my face." A rough voice came as she turned towards the establishment.

A bearded dwarf was surrounded by three men, and they looked like they were about to start throwing punches. Her feet ached in complaint when she stopped walking, surprisingly, then she kept going. It wasn't her business and she didn't care.

One of the men blocked her from the door, while the four of them exchanged more fighting words. Alysanna tried to ignore them until the dwarf said something that caught her ear. "Come on and hit me already, even the newcomer here can tell you're all talk."

If the human standing in front of her hadn't swung his fist and attempted to punch her in the face, Aly was content to just leave them to their own brawl, but since that motion got her involved, there was no turning back. One of the men pulled out a short sword and swung it at her. She caught his wrist and squeezed.

Suddenly, in that moment, her exhaustion winked away and everything turned red. Her own screaming filled her ears until everything drowned out and faded back to normal. The dwarf was the only one left standing, and the way he was staring at her was unusual, more as though he was impressed rather than scared of her.

"Well, now…" He began. "That was fun! A shame they had to bring weapons into a good brawl, though."

Aly threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut, exhausted beyond belief. Though, a small part of her was happy to be near people again.

"I wasn't looking to get dragged into your fight, I'm so tired, I've been traveling for-"

"And the way you handled yourself was pretty impressive, I must say!"

"Thanks." She headed towards the Inn. The dwarf followed her.

"Where ya headed?"

"Neverwinter." She responded without really thinking.

"No kiddin'. Me too! What say you we step into the inn here and let me buy you a pint?"

Aly suddenly didn't feel so exhausted, and the warm personality of the dwarf was encouraging. She slowly nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

"The name's Khelgar, of the clan Ironfist." He said, and she held the door for him. He shouted for two pints at the innkeeper then selected a table far from the fireplace. It was just turning to summer, after all, and it was humid outside.

"Alysanna…" She hesitated for some reason to give her last name. All her life she had been Alysanna "Oxblood" Farlong, taking Daeghun's last name as a sort of impromptu courtesy. This was a chance for her to re-create herself. "Blake. Alysanna Blake. No clan for me… barely much of a family, either." She sipped at the cold ale. It wasn't as sweet as the harvest mead, but it was still good, and most importantly, it'd do the trick.

"Well now that's a shame. Say, Alysanna, where did you learn to fight like that? I haven't seen anyone take out so many pesky humans so fast! Barely had time to get my hands on them, myself!"

She beamed. "I come from a small village, we have annual festivals for brawling and you get lots of good practice."

He nodded at her words then waved his hand. "No, no I mean the whole show, y'know. Your eyes were red as the hells and you were screaming like a banshee! Ha! Never seen anything like it!"

"Oh." Her eyes dropped to the table and she felt her face turn red. "That's um… not…" She couldn't think of what to say. "I don't know." She finally admitted.

"Wanna keep your secrets close to the chest, eh? Well. I'm headed to Neverwinter to learn some better fightin' myself!" He sat up straight, downed more ale, then shouted at the innkeeper for more. He glanced at Aly's mug. "You gonna finish that, lass?"

Smirking, she tilted her head back and downed it all in a few gulps. Khelgar nodded, and then yelled at the Innkeeper for another mug just as he began walking towards them, making him spin back around on his heel.

Khelgar told Aly about a slender twig of a man who beat him in a bar fight, wiped the floor with him, and how he went back in to thank them. He found out they were monks, dedicated fist-fighters, and he wanted to become one, so he was heading to Neverwinter to learn from their monestary.

By the time he had finished his tale, Aly and him downed three ales and she had warmed up to him. She liked him, he was excitable and fun to be around and he had lots of good stories.

Screaming suddenly came from upstairs and the inn door burst open.

"The Kalach-Cha. Find it!" a giant bladeling growled as more of them swarmed into the inn.

"Friends of yours?" Khelgar said, excitedly grabbing his axe. He had a rough interpretation of the look on Aly's face: it was clear she had seen them before. That jolted her back to reality and she drew her own axe. As they fought the bladelings, Aly tried to look around. Surely her and Khelgar weren't the only two skilled fighters in the inn?

* * *

When finally, the bladelings were all dead, Khelgar beamed up at Aly. He opened his mouth to speak when a woman came running down the stairs screaming. "Help! These monsters are upstairs! They trapped my husband!"

Her terrified gaze fell over Aly and Khelgar. "Please, you have to help! They could be murdering him!"

"Come on." Aly nodded at the stairs to Khelgar and they ran up.

There were even more upstairs, and Aly grinned with bloodthirst at the prospect of finally having a challenge. The gray dwarves were here, too, and these ones were stronger than the ones that attacked the village.

Khelgar groaned with effort as three of them had him cornered. It was looking pretty bleak. "Some help over here!" He shouted through the clash of metal. An arm knocked the wind out of her, and Aly gasped to breathe while trying to fend off the assailants. _This is stupid_ , she thought, _I can't die like this. I haven't even started._

A bald dwarf with a jack-o-lantern grin raised his dagger over his head, aiming to stab her in the stomach and though it wasn't as strong as before, the red vision kicked in again. The scream rushed through her, ripping her muscles apart and searing over her skin. Every moved burned, but she was a slave to it, unable to stop herself from hacking at all of them. She was too weak to keep a grip on her axe and it clunked to the ground.

When they all laid dead she spotted Khelgar. He was saying something and looked concerned, and somehow, she managed to re-direct her rage away from him - it was an entity all its own within her, and it wanted life and blood of all it saw. _NO_! She thought. _HE'S GOOD_. She tore the focus away from her new friend to the rooms, lured there by the scratching of their thin feet and the little chittering noises of their tongue. While she tore through each room, Khelgar set to find the missing spouse.

"You must be the husband we were sent to find." Khelgar said, ducking his head in one of the rooms that Aly had destroyed. The black blood of the bladelings splattered over his clothes as he huddled in the corner behind a chair, trembling.

"Y-y-y…. M-m-may-maybe." He forced his mouth closed and let in and out a slow, deep breath.

"Come on, let's get you downstairs. My friend's takin' care of the beasts." He helped him out of the room and to the staircase as the sound of splitting wood and the screams of the bladelings and Aly's roars of anger began to die down.

The last room she entered just as the last bladeling had its heart stabbed. Now that the threat was gone, Aly collapsed against the wall, the only thing remaining was a smoldering ache in her bones.

"Sorry," she muttered to the three men in the room. Her head felt as though it erupted into flames. She needed to sleep.

"Are you Daeghun's lass?" A familiar voice asked. Aly slipped her eyes open enough to look and saw it was Galen the merchant.

"Yeah. Gods. I'm sorry, I-"

"Oh don't worry about it." He waved his hands dismissively. "My guards will set you up in a room, we can talk in the morning. Unless you think more of those things will come back."

She couldn't even answer, for formulate one in her head before the sweet blackness of rest washed over her.

* * *

Khelgar was on his second ale of the morning before Aly came down the stairs. The sun hadn't even come up yet, but she fell asleep early on account of all the physical exertion from the night before. She waved at Khelgar, who responded by beckoning to her. "Got a message for you!"

Aly looked around the inn, it was considerably empty, and the innkeeper seemed fuming about the events from the night before. He stared daggers at Aly and Khelgar, and she assumed he wanted them gone as soon as possible.

"Were there any more attacks?" Aly asked, worried of what she slept through.

Khelgar shrugged, "not many, nothing I couldn't handle. It was nice to have a few of those bastards to myself after you went all berserk on them last night. Ha! But some merchant said he couldn't wait around for you to get up after it all went down. Said he'll meet you at Fort Locke."

Aly wondered what he had to tell her that was so important.

"Oh, alright." She sighed awkwardly, eyeing his empty mugs of ale. "Well, I better get going. Don't want to bring any more trouble."

"You mean we better get going!" He hopped up to his feet. Aly didn't say anything, she just smiled at him with confusion. "Wel, I figure since we're going in the same direction and we both enjoy a good head-bashin, and the way you attract trouble…"

"Alright, sure. That'll be fun." She nodded, and the two headed out of the Weeping Willow Inn and down the path towards Fort Locke.


	5. Neeshka

Not far down the path, Khelgar and Aly found a fork in the path swarming with lizardling footprints. They followed them to swamp caverns, similar to the crypts by West Harbor, the road leading up to them had abandoned campsites. Aly had spotted traps, and saw the size of the locks on the various boxes.

"We're going to need some help getting through here." She had whispered to Khelgar.

"Says who? We can smash our way through this." He sounded certain, but Aly wasn't.

"No, I don't want to break whatever we can get from those chests, and we don't know how strong those traps are. Let's go to Fort Locke and see about hiring a thief to come back with us."

And so they headed back on the road to Fort Locke, which was being overrun with wolves. Khelgar seemed impatient by Aly's stopping to strip them of their pelts and teeth, but she was the boss, so he held his tongue.

A little ways up the path, they spotted Galen arguing with his guards. Their faces were red and though they couldn't make out the words being exchanged, it looked pretty heated.

"Come on," Aly urged to Khelgar, walking up the hill where the three of them were standing.

"Ah, Aly. Seems my guards have found it fit to rob me." Galen greeted with an angry smile.

"You shouldn't have been so loud about your profits back at the inn." One of his guards said. "This path is getting more treacherous every year and we deserve more."

Khelgar gently nudged Aly and she took notice that his guards were drawing their weapons. Half of her wanted to just leave, but she had known Galen and his importance to West Harbor. She drew her axe. "This isn't worth fighting over." She said, her voice in a low warning. "But if you attack him, we will defend him."

The guard brothers, blinded by their greed and rage, began swinging immediately.

It was a short battle, mostly due to the two of them being outnumbered and Galen having more skill with a sword than they expected.

Still, when Aly's axe went through Kalas' head, it wasn't like when she had killed the slew of duergers, bladelings, beetles of lizardfolk. It was another human she just killed. It made her stomach turn unpleasantly and left her with a pause as she stared at the blood dripping out of his split skull as Calliope, his brother, screamed in rage and swung at her. Khelgar's axe went through the soft belly of his armor and he fell to his knees.

Aly looked at him sadly. "Was it fucking worth it?" She spat, angrily. He heaved, choking on his blood before Galen ran his sword through his head to end his misery.

"A nasty bit of business." He said, seemingly unphased as he yanked out a black cloth from his pocket to clean the blade.

Aly was shaking, and forced herself to look away from the mess.

Khelgar and Galen looked at each other, suddenly understanding.

"You've never killed another human before, have you?" Galen asked.

Aly nodded. "I'm okay, I just need a minute."

"Y'know, lass, we're prolly going to have to kill quite a few more before-"

"I said I'm okay." Aly insisted, irritated at their doting. She stood up straight again and turned around to face them and the two dead brothers. "Come on, Khelgar and I will escort you the rest of the way to the Fort. This road is overrun with wolves. Should we tell someone about these…?" She began.

"The wolves will take care of them, I suspect." Khelgar shrugged.

Galen began picking away at their possessions, taking back the gold he paid them. Aly shrugged, supposing it wouldn't do them any good to keep it. And with that they headed off. As they approached the Fort, they spotted signposts warning travelers of rampant bandits, and offering bounties in exchange for them.

"Well now that's dangerous." Galen said.

"Why?" Khelgar asked.

"They're just asking for heads, no proof. People can just go around beheading anyone unfortunate enough to walk by, for a bounty like that." he explained.

Aly shrugged. "No one will be randomly beheading us, don't worry."

Something seemed off when they entered the Fort, though none of them could really place what it was.

"Ah, Marshall." Galen greeted the blond soldier as they walked through the gate. The men exchanged a friendly hand clasp and hug before Marshall McCormick asked about the bodyguards. "They attacked me. Lucky these two arrived."

Marshall's blue eyes fell on Aly and she found herself blushing. He squinted. "You… You're Daeghun's kid, aren't you?"

"Was." She corrected. "All grown up now."

"Right." McCormick beamed. "What brings you out here? Finally setting off to see the world?"

"Sorta. Daeghun's sent me to Neverwinter."

"Ah, good. You'll like it there. I'll put in a good word for you to the captain if you're looking to join our ranks."

Her heart sank immediately, but she smiled and accepted the compliment. The Gray Cloaks, or any other military operation were not on her to-do list… ever.

Khelgar cleared his throat. "Well, we're happy to help, but we got some stuff to get back to, back there." He nodded his head, urging Aly to move along.

"Oh do you think you could look into something for me?" McCormick asked.

"When I get back." Aly promised, her eyes beaming. "Do you know of any thieves we can hire?"

"You can try that one they got in lock up." He pointed to a ruined building where guards were surrounding a structure.

"Thank you." Aly and Khelgar ran off towards the crowd of guards.

Inside a makeshift cell stood a frightening creature. Her orange hair spiked in swirling curls, like flames. Her skin was light orange, freckled around her scalp and wrists. Her voice was high pitched and annoying.

"Why is she in there?" Aly asked the guards.

"She's with a band of bandits that's been terrorizing travelers." One of them said.

The woman in the cell rolled her eyes. "I don't know how many times I've had to tell you now, I'm not with those bandits."

"I need a thief." Aly said, tossing a bag of gold to the guards. "Let her out, I'll keep an eye on her."

They snickered, not really believing her, but after a short squabble, they let the woman out.

"Why'd you save me?" The woman asked.

"Like I said, I need a thief. What's your name?"

"Eh, Alysa, I don't think bringing a demon goat-girl along with us is really a good idea." Khelgar whispered to her.

"Neeshka." She beamed. "And it's Tiefling." She corrected Khelgar before turning back to Aly, grinning with her sharp pointed teeth. "You need someone to get you through traps and unlock chests? I'm your gal!"

Khelgar shifted uncomfortably. "Listen, lass, you don't do much adventuring, or probably readin', let me tell you about her kind-"

"Tiefling means you're half demon, right?" Aly asked Neeshka, who only smiled in response.

"So let me make it easy. The odds aren't in your favor. Khelgar and I can both bash your head open with one half-hearted swing. So, don't try anything, and we'll get in, get out and we can go about our lives uninterrupted. You walk away with your pockets a little fuller, and we got you out of that mess so we'll call it even. Deal?"

Neeshka waved her hand. "Don't worry, I like you. And I don't backstab unless I have a reason to. You're in good hands."

Khelgar grunted doubtfully, falling behind her as they exited the gate and headed back towards the swamp cave.

"Wow, that's a lotta lizards." Neeshka said, bobbing her head up and around the bushes in a way that reminded Aly of the feral cats around the harbor. "Ah! There you are." Her face split into a grin as she spotted the locked boxes.

"Let's get going then." Aly flipped her axe in her hand and ran out towards the giant monsters. Khelgar lingered behind, keeping one squinting eye on Neeshka, who was now flipping a second shining dagger out of her belt and flipping into the air. He stopped, watching her as she strategically moved between the lizardmen, using only one carefully-placed stab to drop the foes. Aly had only dropped one before the remaining four had collapsed.

Khelgar spat onto the ground. "What in the nine hells was THAT?" He roared.

"Shush!" Aly whispered at him, then nudged her head down the path where more lizardmen were waiting, though they didn't seem to have heard.

"Y'know," Neeshka wiped the blade on her pants then put it away, then grabbed a dangling set of lockpicks from her belt as she strolled over to the chests. "You'll get a lot farther with silence and strategy than you will with brute force. Maybe you should consider a traveling companion with more complimentary skills."

"I didn't really get to pick my companions." Aly muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Khelgar asked. Aly shook her head. Neeshka didn't seem to hear her. After some finagling the lock popped open. Neeshka's eyes glistened as she peeked into the box.

"I'll take it all, we'll divvy it up later."

"Fine." Neeshka huffed, obviously unhappy with that decision. Khelgar eyed her suspiciously.

The three made their way down the path, carefully looting when they could, and fighting when they got caught. The battle cries must have carried, because as they got closer to the cave, the groups of lizardmen increased.

As the three stood among the reptilian corpses, Neeshka spotted the entrance. "I'll bet there's lots of goodies in there." Her greedy smirk sent a shiver down Aly's spine. As the demon headed for the cave, Khelgar nudged Aly.

"Hey, you think we ought to tell her about that whole lot that's coming after you?"

"No." Aly said with conviction. "I don't know if I trust her. The less she knows the better. For now."

Khelgar huffed. "A'ight. Your problem, your call."

"Thanks."

The two of them followed Neeshka inside, where she crouched behind a giant boulder. The only light came from around the right corner, where torches stuck out of the ground emitting a warm glow.  
"Wanna see something cool?" Neeshka whispered to them. Before they could answer, she continued. "Give me that pouch, I can get all of the loot here and be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

Aly stared at her.

"Nah-uh."

"Oh come on, please! It'll be fun!"

"Because there's nothing stopping you from just taking off with my pouch and all of the loot."

"Well, then, it'll be a test of how much you can trust me."

There was something in the way she said it, or perhaps her tone, that caught Aly off guard and compelled her to trust the demon girl. She could hardly believe herself as she reached for her pouch and handed it over. Neeshka grabbed it, but Aly didn't let go.

"Listen to me, and listen good." Aly said, her voice hard. The air turned static. "My trust isn't something to be taken lightly. If you run off, I will find you and I will kill you."

For a moment Neeshka seemed terrified, but she brushed it off quickly with a nervous laugh. "Pfft. You got nothing to worry about, I like you."

Aly surrendered the pouch. Neeshka threw it over her shoulder and stepped out from the boulder into the hall.

She turned and smiled at the two of them, and she took a deep breath.

"INVADERS! INVADERS! THEY'RE KILLING EVERYONE! HELP! HELP!" Neeshka screamed.

"You little-" Khelgar started after her. But Aly held him back and stared, confused at Neeshka.

As the lizards came running, their shadows casting over the walls, Neeshka winked at Aly, and then she was gone.

"That little twerp." Aly said, standing, holding her axe ready.

"I TOLD you this was a bad idea!" Khelgar yelled.

"She never said she was going to sneak past them or kill them, so she's bringing them to us so she can do the looting."

Before Khelgar could respond, the lizardmen were upon them. The layout of the cave was in their favor, forcing the warriors to funnel at them so each could only take a couple at a time. Even still, the fight became exhaustive, and the lizardmen over powered both of them.

"I'm sorry, Khelgar." Aly muttered to him as her sore arms swung her axe for the last time, and everything went black.

Cold water splashed in Aly's face, waking her. She was on her knees, tied, next to Khelgar, who was beet red with a cloth in his mouth, muttering with fury at the large, armored lizard who stood before them.

"Why do you kill us?" He asked in his awful, raspy voice.

"Well, we didn't intend to. We just wanted to rob you." Aly said.

Something in the room seemed off just then, but Aly couldn't identify what it was. It felt as though the room was becoming empty, despite that her and Khelgar were both surrounded by guards.

"WHY, then?" The lizard roared.

Khelgar's voice became more loud and he began to hyperventilate. Like a pulsating tomato.

"Oh I'm sure my buddy here would love to tell you all about it."

Khelgar glared at her. Aly smiled at him without emotion.

"I should have listened to you, I'm sorry."

The lizard chief opened his long mouth to speak again, but instead of the raspy voice, it was a gargle. Blood spilled down his chest and he fell to the ground, dead. Neeshka appeared behind him, grinning.

Aly looked around. The guards were all dead, leaning against the walls to look like they were still standing.

"That was a little unexpected!" Neeshka said, wiping the blood off her dagger onto her pants. "I thought for sure you guys could take them all."

"Haha, very funny." Aly said. "Now, untie me."

"Just a minute. First I need your word that you're not angry at me. I didn't betray you, I was just having fun. I'm a thief, it's what I do!"

"I'm not mad at you." Aly plastered a smile onto her face as her heart began to throb.

"Oh, good!" Neeshka walked around behind her to cut her ties. "Because let me tell you I was PRETTY wo-"

Aly jumped on her, held her to the ground by her throat. Neeshka tried to lace her ankles around hers and flip her over, but Aly squeezed tighter around her neck. Neeshka's natural light orange complexion became a medium tan.

"I know what you did. But that was sneaky, and I don't like sneaky. You do sneaky-sneaky again, and I'm going to take your face and go smashy-smashy against whatever object or surface is closest. Got it?"

Neeshka was wiggling, then nodded, surrendering, desperate to breathe.

Aly let her go and took her pouch back. Khelgar's shade was now more of a roses quartz color, and he seemed amused by the scene that just occurred.

"Hey, demon girl. That goes double for me." He said.

"Now, hang on." Aly waved her hand. "Like I said, I don't like sneaky. But you came through in the end, and that counts for something."

"You mean it?" Neeshka asked, smiling. "Oh good cause I thought I was gonna have to bail on you guys when we get back to the fort."

"It's coming out of your share of the loot."

"Ugh. Fine."

"Let's head back, I need a pint after that, and we'll divvy it up at the Inn, then we'll head out for Highcliff before sunset."

"What?" Khelgar interjected. "No, she's not coming with us after that!"

"She has valuable skills, and I trust her enough, and you should too, she also saved you. And if she already knows what'll happen if she decides to get sneaky again."

"You trust me?" Neeshka asked.

"Enough." Aly clarified.

That greedy, demonic grin plastered across Neeshka's orange face again. "Enough to tell me about that evil lot that's been following you?"


	6. Bandits

"No." Aly said stoically. "To Fort Locke we go."

Neeshka stared after her, surprised. Khelgar gave a belt of a laugh.

"What?" She complained. "You won't tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Aly asked stubbornly.

"About who is following you?"

Aly stopped, turned on her heel and stepped toward Neeshka, towering over her. Neeshka recoiled, looking a little frightened.

"No one is following me." Aly said. "Got it?"

"W-well, that's not what you told- HEY! Hey, now, look!" She held her hands up defensively when Aly started to look irritated. "Look. I like you, you're feisty and strong, both of you. But if I'm going to be traveling with you, I need to know what's going on, so I can watch my own back, too."

Aly turned and kept walking. She took a deep breath when they exited the cave. "Fine."

Neeshka smiled, excited to finally be in the loop.

"Then don't travel with me."

Khelgar's grin said more than his words could have.

"I could help!" Neeshka whined. "I am demonic, you know."

But it became clear to Neeshka that Aly wasn't going to bite. She looked tired, and the more Neeshka talked the more irritated she looked, and Neeshka wasn't interested in pissing off someone who was so temperamental… she rubbed her neck. They had only traveled this short while together, she supposed that for the time being she could let it go.

The three made their way back to Fort Locke, reeking of enough lizard blood to draw out a few wolves, but for some reason, none bothered to attack.

The sun was already getting low in the sky. There wouldn't be enough daylight to make the trek to Highcliffe before nightfall, but at least with all of the loot from the lizardlings, there was enough time to do some trading to prepare for their journey now.

"I'm going to take a look around." Aly said to Khelgar and Neeshka. "We'll head out for Highcliffe first thing in the morning. The Inn ought to have a few rooms but if not, looks like there might be a spare tent around we can crash in."

"I've had my eye on that Tavern since we first walked in here! Been lookin' forward to a stiff drink all day!" Khelgar beamed. "I'll get us a table."

Neeshka watched after the Dwarf as he sauntered into the largest building in the fort. If the miliatry building hadn't been in ruines, that would have been the largest building, taking up just under half of all the area inside the walls. From within the ruins, Aly spotted a room that was filled with trinkets, bottles, and tables that overflowed with parchment, books…

"Let me handle the sales." Neeshka said. "Please. I'm very good at bargaining with merchants. Sometimes I even get them to show me extra special items they hide from commoners."

Aly wanted to ask. About her race, about her intentions. But really, she was more tired than she was patient and something about Neeshka convinced her that, at least for now, she wouldn't be any trouble.

"I don't feel like threatening you." Aly muttered.

"Huh?"

Aly dumped the items from her enchanted bag into a less valuable one and handed it to Neeshka. "I'll trust you with all this."

Grinning, Neeshka grabbed the bag, but Aly didn't let go.

"Don't worry, you're in good hands." Neeshka insisted. Aly didn't smile, but she let go of the bad.

 _If she cuts and runs, I'll have her tail_. She thought as Neeshka slung the pack over her shoulder. "See you at the tavern when I'm done!" she started off, then stopped and turned around. "Thanks, Alysanna. For taking a chance on me."

"Don't make me regret it." the Barbarian smiled back.

Now that Neeshka was gone, her attention was drawn back to that tucked away room in the corner of the ruins. She walked on in, stepping over the pile of gray crumbled bricks. A man was standing there, just leaning against the wall. He stood straight as Aly approached.

"Is this a crafting room?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yes, are you a-"

"No, no." She was distracted, suddenly. She had seen craftsman benches before, almost everyone in West Harbor created something… but seeing all of the supplies and equipment in one place was inspiring. To the left was a stack of ingots, mostly regular iron but there were some that shimmered with internal light, and some that seemed to reflect only darkness. "Gods, but I would love to."

"I can teach you. That's actually what this place is for."

"How much?"

"Nothing." The man said. "I'm volunteering because I'm retired, and I'm hoping it encourages people to help out around here."

"Done." Aly picked up the smithing hammer from a black anvil. "Tell me everything you know."

* * *

Aly was glowing with excitement when she burst through the Inn. Khelgar waved at her from over the crowds of people. As she walked closer, Neeshka's spiked hair came into view. A puch of gold landed on the table at an empty seat. Aly understood it as her third of the loot.

"I picked up a new skill!" Aly said as she sat down. "And I made you guys something."

From her enchanted bag of holding, she pulled out a shimmering silver axe and handed it to Khelgar. He took it and stared at the blade with admiration. She handed two daggers to Neeshka, made of the same material.

"Is this-"

"Alchemical silver." Aly nodded. "I heard there's a graveyard, and there's some rumors about undead going around. If we encounter any, these weapons will be more effective at killing them than our current ones."

"Well, look at who's not all brawn after all!" Neeshka examined her blade.

"They're really simple, I just learned, but… you never know."

"Thanks for this." Khelgar clutched his axe with both hands. Then he frowned and looked at the handle. "What's this symbol?"

"Oh I just… engraved my initial on it." Aly shrugged. "The Mentor said if I get any good at it later it might be worth more to have my seal on it, so, I just made one up."

"I thought you wanted to be a mercenary?" Khelgar asked.

"Well, I'll need something to do in my down time." Aly said. "Don't you think?"

Neeshka's tail flicked into the air on its own. "Trust me," she eyed Aly, "you won't have much of that."

"Barkeep! Another round!" Khelgar slammed his fist on the table. "This deserves a toast."

"How many toasts have you been here for already?" Aly asked Neeshka.

"Oh, I don't drink." She said. "But this will be the eighth for him."

The group managed to make it ten toasts before the sun finally set, and Khelgar was only just beginning to feel the tingling in his fingertips. Aly felt calm, confident. Like a stone in the river. The noise and chaos around her whirled violently yett there she sat, unmoved by all of it.

"You look like the kind of people who know how to handle yourselves." A short haired woman stopped at their table, her gaze lingering a little too long on Neeshka. "I was hoping I can hire you to do something for me."

"Depends on what it is." Aly said after a mouthful of ale. "We can't stay here long."

"I'm Liza." She said. "Do you mind if I sit?"

Shaking her head, Aly set her mug down. Something about the woman really indicated she could use some help. "Alysanna. What do you want?"

Liza sat down next to Khelgar, across from Aly. She avoided looking at Neeshka. "You might have already heard, but the bandits are becoming bolder with the lack of patrols around here. Many people have already been driven from there homes in the Mere… but not all of us want to leave. This is our home! And we're being forced to seek shelter here in the fort."

Before either of her companions could speak up, Aly gave a silencing glance to both of them. She knew their opinions on this matter already, but she sensed she could get something out of helping this woman.

"Please, go on." Aly said.

"Getting robbed is just a fact of life out here, but they've started kidnapping people and asking for ransoms!" Liza said. "They took my husband."

The gold band around Liza's finger caught the light. Aly watched Liza twiddle it between her thumb and index finger as she spoke.

"The other refugees and I have gathered some money together to see if we could pay an adventurer, like yourself, to maybe bring them back."

"How much?"

"Three hundred." Liza looked timidly among the three of them. "A perfect three-way split."

Aly regarded her silently, considering.

"They've got a hideout. I think they're running some kind of operation." Liza added. "No doubt they'll have all kinds of other items they've robbed from people there that you'll be able to take if you want. I'm also sure Vallis would be glad to be rid of them, he might reward you with something, too."

Neeshka leaned into Aly. "I like the sound of that." her voice brimmed with excitement.

Liza waited, her dark eyes fixated on Aly, desperate but trying to hide it.

"Sure, we'll get them out." Aly finally said. "We'll head out first thing in the morning tomorrow."

"Thank you." Liza reached across the table and squeezed Aly's arm. Her hand was barely large enough to wrap around it. "Thank you."

* * *

"Alysanna!"

She turned on her heel and was face to face with Cormick and Lieutenant Vallis. The superior officer didn't look impressed, and he clearly recgonized Neeshka.

"I'm glad I caught you before you headed out. On your way to Highcliffee?" He asked.

"Enough small chat, Marshall." Vallis interupted. "I heard someone was going to take out the bandit camp. With how much you stand out among these farmers, logic dictates that someone is you."

Aly realized she was scowling. "What of it?"

"You bring me the head of their leader is and I'll make it worth your while."

"How much?" Neeshka asked. "Those posters are offering per bandit head. I imagine the leader's would be worth quite a lot more than the stragglers."

"Three hundred. For you." He ignored Neeshka, keeping his focus on Aly. "Cormick swears by you and if he hadn't stopped pestering me about giving you work I wouldn't care, but this seems the only way to shut him up."

Cormick winked at Aly and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"I don't care how you divy it among your friends. My concern is the head. Get going."

And with that, the Lieutenant turned on his heel. Cormick stepped forward, knowing Vallis wouldn't care that he wasn'tt right on his heels. "I'd offer to go with you, but I'm needed here."

"It's fine." Aly shook her head. "We got this."

"You've grown so much." Cormick smiled. "Did Daeghun give you a stock of those potions to bring with you?"

Aly glanced nervously at Khelgar and Neeshka. "Yep." She patted her bag awkwardly. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." She realized he was trying to connect with her, but truthfully, Cormick was far too goody-two-shoes for Aly's liking. She supposed that was why he became so fond of her. Hanging out with the wild child always gave him an excuse to experience the thrill of life beyond rules and vows, while keeping him distant enough from the fall out to get in trouble.

Aly, on the other hand…

"We should head out." Aly nodded. "See you when I get back. Khelgar, Neeshka. Let's go."

She felt his eyes on the back of her head as she led them out the gate.

"Wait a minute." Neeshka said as they descended the path. Aly and Khelgar froze in place.

"What is it?"

"Someone is definitely watching us." Neeshka said, looking carefully around them.

"Well, whoever it is…" Aly spoke up loud and clear to anyone listening. "They ought to know how capable we are by now." The threat was made. She didn't want to spend too much time stalling on a person who might not even be there.

As the mountain rolled into a hill, and the hills sprouted thick trees, the adventurers stumbled into a clearing.

"Bandits ahead." Neeshka said in a low voice, grabbing the person closest to her, who happened to be Khelgar.

"Aye, Aly!" He attempted to be discreet in his warning before the great barbarian stumbled into the camp, but it was too late. She had been leaning too much against a dry tree branch, straining her eyes and ears to observe what might have been in the wide open space. When Neeshka had heard the group of banits and reported to Khelgar, Aly went tumbling into it.

"Well, well. What have we here?" The scrawny human regarded the fallen woman with mock concern.

Aly brushed her red bangs out of her eye and rose to her feet. She towered over the man by about a foot. It didn't escape her notice that his eyes widened when he regarded her. Behind him stood three other men, only one of them stood out to her as the apparent leader. She picked him out easily among them because he was the only one who didn't seem to be afraid of her.

"There's a toll on this road." He spoke, his voice seemed to shake the other bandits free of their nerves. "Ten copper per traveler."

The bandit leader averted his gaze from her, choosing to look instead into the chest that sat open at his feet.

"There's a lot of coins in there," Neeshka whispered to Khelgar, but even her hushed tone couldn't hide her excitement.

"That's steep." Aly patted the bag tied to her belt. "When did this start?"

"Just a couple days ago. Orders from Commander Val at Forte Locke."

Aly's lip twitched. She could hardly help it, even if she wanted to. "Well. Come on, then." She fished out a handful of gold and held it out to the bandit closest to her. "Take it if you want it."

He eyed her up and down, lingering too long on her axe. When he reached out to take the money from her hand, Aly grabbed his wrist and with little effort, pulled his body into hers. She wrapped her arm around his neck and hoisted him off of the ground.

"Kill him," the leader shook his head. "He annoys me, anyway."

"Oh, now that just makes me sad." Khelgar stumbled out of the bushes. "You shouldn't throw away your own like that."

Aly dropped the bandit, who landed on all fours on the dirt. He scrambled away from her in a mad dash.

The two others rushed at the group. Neeshka did a shadow step, eliminating one of them with a single swift slice of her blade. The other was bashed over the side of his skull by Khelgar's hammer.

"Good news." The leader of the group beamed. "You can pass, no road fee."

* * *

"Champion Abalyth? Might I have a word?"

"Of course, Lieutenant. Please, have a seat."

The blonde armored woman sat across from the Aasimar, trying to keep her true emotions under control.

"I need help with the docks."

Abalyth frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The gangs. And… the watch. I think some of them are double agents. Regaining order as I've been instructed have proven -"

"The docks have always been trouble. Pirates, smugglers… The district is full of scoundrels, it always has been. I don't see what I can offer that would be of help to you."

"You don't?" it was the Lieutenant turn to look doubtful. "You know your accomplishments. You are a champion to Neverwinter, a beacon of -"

With every word of praise that left Lieutenant Roe's mouth, Abalyth grew less amicable. It passed over her face quickly as she exhaled a slow breath.

"An appearance is all I need." Roe said. "Come by the Watch tower there, walk the streets a little, be seen. Maybe your presence will encourage some of the soldiers, remind them why they joined. Inspire some citizens to step up. You could stop by the Flagon and-"

"I do not inbibe." Abalyth said gently. "You mentioned that you think some men might be gang members as well?"

"I have no proof, only suspicion."

"I can help you with that."

"Oh," Roe shook her head. "No, I couldn't possible ask you for all of that."

"I can tell when people are not right with themselves. I see their turmoil, regrets and all of the things which weigh them down. It's useless for the men who feel no internal conflict about their decision to turn on the law, but if we know who does feel conflicted about it, sniffing out the rest will be easy."

Roe's mouth fell open for a moment. "I couldn't force my men to be subject to that sort of invasion. To be honest I'm shocked to hear it from you, yourself. Unless I'm misunderstanding something?"

"Invasion?" an ivory eyebrow arched.

"How is that different from forcing a man to testify against himself?"

"Tyr give me patience." Abalyth whispered under her breath before she stood up to pace around the room. "When a man dons the privilege of serving under the authority of a lord to uphold the law and order of the city, he ceases to be a citizen. He is a watchman."

"Of course." Roe's skin tightened into gooseflesh. What she didn't realize is that it was a reaction to Abalyth's divine aura. Any time she felt righteous fury, it grew, and the glow of it cleansed all around her.

"Forgive me. I'm rather tired. I never intended to lose my temper with you." While Abalyth's back was still turned to her, Abalyth's attention was drawn to some new presence in her home.

There was no sound that alerted the woman but it came to Abalyth's awareness like an alarm. While she reached out to detect more of the intruder, the oblivious Roe continued:

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Champion Abalyth, but-"

"Just Abalyth is fine, Lieutenant. I'm no longer sworn in service. It's unnecessary."

"Thank you. Is this ability something that is inherent, or taught?"

"It is divine." Abalyth said. "A blessing from Tyr himself."

She detected the mysterious visitor in her home had no ill intentions, at least to her or Roe. Something about it was odd, and old. There was too much familiarity, something Abalyth didn't understand which gave her an eerie calm. As though the divine power within her recognized the power within the stranger.

What nonsense was that?

"Lieutenant, there is someone hiding in my home at this moment. I'd like to go confront the coward, will you be accompanying me?"

Roe balked. "I didn't hear anything." She whispered, but then she remembered her place and rose to her feet. "Of course I will. Shall I lead the way?"

"Not unless you know my floorplan better than I."

"Champion?"

"A joke. Come along, may Tyr light the way."

"It's up ahead." Neeshka grabbed Aly's arm and gently tugged her aside, off the road. "Do you see that huge fence? Those are the walls – it's like they have a whole town in there or something!"

Aly strained her neck to see inside, but it looked like just more road was on the other side.

"It's two rows of fence." Neeshka said. "Let me go ahead and scout it out! I'll come back and we can come up with a plan on how to kock them all out."

"You don't think I can take them?"

"Oh I know you can take them!" Neeshka nodded. "But it's still better to know what you're running into. Less chance of dying over a small misstep."

"Aye, demon-girl's right." Khelgar nodded.

"Okay," Aly nodded.

"Back in just an intsy sec!" Neeshka poofed into the air and was gone.

"Do you think she's still here?" Aly asked Khelgar.

"Hmph. Wouldn't surprise me." He grumbled in response.

Aly looked around at the shrubbery and grass, impressed with how hidden it seemed to be from the path. She figured if someone weren't looking for the fence, it was easily overlooked. _Easy for theives to find, though._

There was suddenly a loud commotion within the camp. A high pitched scream of a woman, and then Neeshka yelling, her voice manic: "Incoming!"

Khelgar didn't need to be told twice. Without even acknowledging Aly, he grabbed his axe and ran towards the gate. Out came a flood of people, unarmed, their hands up once they spotted the weapons.

"You're the refugees?" Aly asked the man standing before her.

"Yes! Thanks for sending your friend to rescue us, we know the path from here."

Aly watched wide-eyed as Khelgar hurled himself at a bandit. "We'll take it from here." Aly slapped the back of his shoulder as she stepped past him to get to her friends. There were a ton of bandits, arrows were flying.

After she downed a scrawny halfling that lept into the air from seemingly out of nowhere, her shoe kicked a helmet on the ground. Wanting to avoid the flying, flaming arrows, she just slipped it on without thinking, than ran off to take out the rest of the bandits.

* * *

After careful coordination through her house, Abalyth sensed that together, her and Lieutenant Roe managed to corner the invisible stranger into her spare bedroom.

As Roe came into the room, she slowly shut the door and waited for Abalyth to reveal new information.

"Show yourself, coward." Her birthmarks glowed in the dark.

Her senses reached out, and realized how easy it had been to trap the stranger in here. The stranger wanted to be corraled. The familiarity her soul placed on this stranger was odd to Abalyth, but also comforting in a way she hadn't felt in a very long time.

It was Vitani.

"Lieutenant." Abalyth straightened her back and smiled at her. "There is nothing going on here. This is an old friend playing a trick on me." She put the short sword she used for home defence back in its sheath and opened the door.

"Are you certain?" Roe asked, cautiously glancing over the room.

"Please do not doubt my honor in my own home."

"Forgive me, that wasn't what I-"

"It is forgiven and forgotten." Abalyth lead her down the hall and out her front door. "I will see you soon in the Docks, then." She waved farewell.

She was too quick to close and lock the door, but reminded herself that it was none of Roe's business, anyway. It would be borderline treason to suggest Champion Abalyth was up to anything remotely shady.

 _There's nothing shady about what I did. OR said_. Abalyth thought, making it the final word on her internal conflict.

"Vitani." Abalyth spun around and there she was, leaning against the wall, as though she had been there the whole time. "I can honestly say that I've missed you."

"It's been a long time." Vitani nodded. "Something is going wrong with the land."

"Did you come all this way to warn me we're going to have a bad harvest?"

Vitani yanked her hood off and stared at her sister with those deep brown doe eyes. She was afraid, and excellent at hiding it. "I came all this way to tell you I think Tasida is up to something."

"Why would she choose the land to poison? Surely she knew or suspected that you'd be guarding her..."

"I don't think she's doing it directly. I think it's like an aura, just seeping out and out."

"I told you we should have just turned her in." Abalyth shook her head. "How many people have died?"

"Abalyth." Vitani stepped closer. "There's a villiage that sprouted up pretty close to her tower. I've been watching over the inhabitants and spinning tales to scare them all away..."

"You're not answering my question."

"… She's up to something. I can sense it in the earth. She might have infected someone from that villiage. She hasn't killed anyone directly yet that I know of."

"No. Getting in would mean breaking the locks that keep her in there. I wouldn't be surprised if she was dead in there and that's just how rot-"

"I need to know. And I'm going to open it whether you're on board or not. I just figured you would want to be with me in case she isn't dead and in the very unlikely case where she might be ready and waiting for us."

Abalyth gazed at the pretty textured skin of her elvish sister. "Do you know how bad it could be if she gets out? How long and hard it was to get her in there?"

"A githyanki came and attacked that villiage I mentioned earlier." Vitani said, and an unspoken connection vibrated between them.

Abalyth began looking around her house. "I see. I have some preparations that need to be made before I can leave. Do you think if we wait until the day after tomorrow, we will still be in a good time window to avoid another attack?"

"That's a decision for you, not me."

"You don't care about the people?"

"The land will heal in time, regardless. I do not wish ill upon the people, and I'll intervene if I am needed and able. Take the day if you need it, but if I do not see you at the break of dawn the following day I will leave without you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Tani, the whole reason we had to team up to get her under control in the first place is because we've all got the same amount of power. In her territory there is no way you'll have a chance by yourself. She could kill you."

They locked eyes and shared a stiff half-laugh together.

If only such release could be granted to them.

"I'm being over protective again, sorry. There's a part of it that just comes naturally."

"You mean well, most of the time."

"Is that all this visit is about?"

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't spoken in over a century." Abalyth said. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Of course I did. I've been at the main events, it's just you had so much going on you never bothered to look and see if I was there. I saw you looked fine and well, so I left you alone."

"You could have just gone, you know. Come up to me, said hi."

Vitani crossed her arms as she regarded her older sister. "Oh, is being the Champion of Neverwinter not enough for you, now? You want the glory and admiration that comes from being a god-"

"That would never come up!"

"How else are you going to explain to these simple-minded people that I am your sister?"

Abalyth glanced at Vitani's clothes. They were dirty, literally – coated in dirt and moss. She smelled like the earth, always. Fresh foliage, cut grass, the must of a dense forest. Her textured brown skin, that could so easily be mistaken as a tree branch when she stands perfectly still, compared to Abalyth's own smooth pale skin and glowing birthmarks. No one would buy for a moment they were sisters.

"I could just introduce you as an old friend."

"How are you going to explain how we met?"

"Keep it vague, on the road traveling."

"I'll tell them I'm the daughter of a goddess. I'm not ashamed of who I am."

"Neither am I." Abalyth hardened.

 _That didn't take long_ , Vitani thought as she turned away. "It is time for me to leave." She said, and then she was gone.

* * *

"You've certainly made a mess of things, haven't you?" The man spat. Aly had just kicked down the barricaded door of the last room in his hideout. "What do you want?"

"There is a bounty on your head and I'm here to collect." Aly smirked. Then tilted her head towards Neeshka. "And my friend here got jailed because your little minions-"

"How much is Valis offering for my head, then?"

"Three-"

"Thirty. Thousand." Neeshka stepped forward. She swiveled smoothly on her heel and locked eyes for but one moment with both Aly and Khelgar. _Trust me, guys_.

"Ten thousand for each of us."

He narrowed his eyes at the Tiefling suspiciously, regarding her, then that dwarf. What an odd band of travelers. He considered how might such a group come together, and with their ages into consideration – that humongous woman can't be older than twenty- how long might they have been acquanted, and how frail their bond may be.

His lips curled into a smirk as his gaze settled back on Neeshka. "How about instead of that, I just give you thirty thousand for yourself to join me. I'll pay you after we dispatch of your companions."

"Why would I want to join you?" Neeshka scoffed. "I mean, other than the money. I can get more than thirty grand by just running Neverwinter for a week."

"Neeshka!" Aly scowled at her. "Are you really thinking aboutt this?"

"I mean," Neeshka slid deliberately away from Aly and Khelgar. "No offense or anything but I've seen you fight. You're very clumsy." She beamed at the Bandit leader. "I know all of her weak spots. It would be easy."

Aly's knuckles went white on the handle of her axe. Neeshka put her hands on the bandit's desk, leaning over it towards him.

Khelgar subtly jabbed Aly's elbow. She glanced down at him and he gave her a slight nod of reassurance.

If Khelgar was showing trust in Neeshka, something must have happened that Aly missed between them. She calmed herself.

"How about I just join you for the thrity thousand, and they go their own way." She smiled brightly at them. "No bloodshed, no mess. You get a new recruit and-"

"Yeah I'm going to need to get something out of that deal." Aly pipped up.

"Tell Valis whatever you want. Killed him, made him agree to stop. Here, we can write up a fake treaty to sign saying we promise we'll stop or whatever. It doesn't matter what you tell him!" Neeshka's smile became a little more plastic. "You don't even want to be here, anyway, right? You've got something bigger and more important you want to do, right?"

Alysanna glared at her, confused about whatever message it was that Neeshka was trying to pass along. She hated it when people's body language contradicted with the words they were speaking.

"Yeah!" Khelgar slapped Aly's leg playfully. "Come on, lass. We don't have time for this."

"Are you-" Aly looked up at the ceiling, then shook her head with frustration expressed through a deep, intentional inhale.

"No. I will need them both to be dead. Or to pay the costs of restoring my building, the medicine I'll need for the men you haven't killed and-"

"Oh there's no need for that. We'll take the fake treaty." Khelgar raised his voice and stepped forward. "There's no need for fightin' and 'sides, heh, this one's a way scarier than she looks when you get her going – and she's already on her way."

The Bandit leader stared at Aly and realized that maybe she hadn't been entirely present for their conversation.

"I don't have time for this." Aly stepped forward, staring hard at Neeshka before averting her attention sharply to the leader. She adjusted her grip on her axe. The floorboards creaked beneath her weight.

"Well, I tried." Neeshka shrugged and then threw herself into the air, drawing her knives out of her belt before her feet hit the floor.

A guard stepped between Aly and the bandit leader, knife aimed for her stomach as she raised her axe over her head.

Khelgar threw his hammer at him, breaking his legs. As he went down, his knife only succeeded to graze the decorative furs that covered Aly's boots. She slammed her axe down over the desk, but the Leader managed to evade her. He did not evade Neeshka, who had taken out the other guard. She grabbed his wrist with one hand and flung him into a headlock. Her tail wrapped around his other hand to keep him from flailing as Aly freed her axe from the wooden desk.

"How about this, instead." Aly crouched down and looked him square in the eye. "We kill you and we take your gold. And we get rewarded by Commander Valis."

"You," he choked out. "Have… absolutely stunning eyes."

Neeshka hacked out a laugh. Aly scowled at him and leaned closer. "Good. Cause they're going to be the last thing you see before you die."

"Then I'll die a happy man." He smiled.

"Don't buy it." Neeshka said, the strain in her voice indicated she was struggling to keep her hold on him.

"I'm not an idiot." Aly scolded her.

"A request for a dying man?" the bandit flailed for Aly's attention again. "A kiss to ease the pain of death?"

Khelgar shivered and made a strange noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a yell. "This is getting painful, lad."

"What reason have I to lie if you're going to kill me anyway?"

"What the fuck is even happening right now?" Aly's brain was wrapping around the twists and turns of interactions since they walked into this room, trying to make sense of it.

"He's doing that on purpose, Aly. He's trying to confuse you. He thinks you're stupid!" Neeshka explained.

"They think I'm lying to you. But you know I've always loved you, from the beginning."

"Just kill him." Khelgar begged Neeshka and Aly.

Aly was trying to comprehend what the bandit meant when he made his last statement. The beginning?

"You remember, we grew up together in West Har-"

Neeshka stabbed him in the neck so swiftly it made Aly jump away before his blood could spurt all over her.

Neeshka let him fall to the floor and she immediately started picking up the coins from the remains of the desk.

"What was that?" Aly asked, holding her head. "That was so weird."

"But you recognized it was happening."

"Well, duh. When two Elves stroll along speaking in Elvish you still know they're conversing! You just don't know what the hell they're actually saying."

"There's a sort of … do you know what the branches of magic are?"

"Nature, Divine and Arcane, right?" Aly recalled a memory where Amie mentioned this.

"It's kind of like a branch of magic. People can say things or act a certain way to try and manipulate you, or a situation."

"He casted a spell on me?"  
"Yeah," she laughed nervously. "I don't know the technical details about it, everyone is sort of just born with different awarenesses of when people are trying to manipulate them. Don't feel bad, it's understandable why you'd be more receptive to that kind of ap-"

"Let's get back to the Forte, aye?" Khelgar spoke up. "If yer done cleaning the place out."

Aly was developing a headache. "Go for it, Neeshka. I'm going to go outside and put out the fires. Meet me out there when you're ready to head back."


	7. Shadows Under Fort Lock

The silent alarm buzzed exactly five seconds before Vitani entered the local sage's shop. She grimmaced as she walked in, immediately feeling suffocated and trapped in the tiny building.

"I don't get many visitors of your kind." the man behind the counter lifted his pointed nose and stared at the wild elf through an intrigued squint. "What can I do for you?"

Vitani stepped forward, glancing all around the shop. She sensed the tensity of magic around her, pulled tight like a bow string, ready to be released at any moment.

"You sense my wards." He said. "You have nothing to fear as long as you mean me no harm. They're protective to me and my establishment only."

"It's been a long time since I've been in a city." Vitani said as she arrived at the counter.

He audibly inhaled. "I can tell."

Vitani wasn't any more impressed by him. Their races might be distant cousins, but there was a part of her that believed all elves who turned away from the land and nature were not true elves. She'd never vocalize such prejudice, people cannot help who they are born to be, it existed all the same.

"I need some money. But, since I'm unwilling to part with my armor and weapons..."

"The other merchants don't see the value in your collection of..." The robbed shopkeeper leaned and peeked at her bag. "...mushrooms, gemstones and various animal parts."

"I was told to seek out a merchant more specialized for enchanted material." Vitani said.

"You have come to the right place. Are you staying in Neverwinter long?"

"No. But I will probably pass through frequently enough."

"Then allow me to introduce myself." He held out his hand. "I am Sand, and if you can provide me with more materials like this any time you pass through, I'd certainly welcome them. I dread searching for my own. Especially the ones that are localized to Duskwood, but you seem like you'd be up for a few collection assighments..."

"Another time, perhaps. I'm in a bit of a rush right now." Vitani held her bag open with one hand and began pulling out handfuls of items with the other. Vials of sand. Tiny boxes of flowers, mushrooms, stones. Batches of moss. Fangs, bones all litered Sand's countertop.

His beady eyes seemed to widen with excitement as they darted over each new handful. If she wasn't so obviously a tree-person, he'd fear she was running a scam on him. Even if she was, he supposed, the enchantments would take care of her moments after the transaction.

Still, he wondered what sort of thing would compell a Wild Elf to leave their comforts of earth for the stone walls of a city, and if it had anything to do with the token appearance of Champion Abalyth that was rumored to be happening today.

"You're a stealthy woman." Sand said, picking up a particularly brilliant star sapphire.

Vitani said nothing.

"I buy more than items, you know."

"Speak plainly, wizard." Vitani said.

"I just find it curious that a devote of nature of your status would wander into my shop on today, of all days. Word around the area says Champion Abalyth herself will be making some rounds today at the Docks to help the Watch establish order."

"Who?" Vitani frowned.

Sand's eyes narrowed. She was good.

"You're asking if I have any information for you to buy." She realized. "I don't trade in rumors and myth, sorry."

"But surely you know who the great Champion Abalyth is? Even farmers from Luskan know the story of-"

"I am no Luskan farmer. And I have no interest in the glories of you people and your cities and your war."

"So you _have_ heard of her." He admired her bow, slung over her back. It was a beautiful looking weapon, even he could see that, through the dormant magical properties, he could appreciate a well crafted piece, but something about it resonated familiarity. "You know, I feel compelled to dissuade you from any ill wills you might have against her." He said carefully. "While I'm not personally fond of her, and would not mind someone knocking her down a peg or two, if we are to remain in business I can't have you doing anything that will draw too much attention to yourself."

Vitani stared at him blankly. He thought she was here to assassinate Abalyth.

The realization would have been more disappointing if she was more invested in this shopkeeper. But the truth was, Vitani just needed some money. Her experience taught her it was always better to be with some amount, than to be with none.

"Will you be taking it all, then?" She asked.

"One bandit head, as requested." Aly pulled the Bandit Leader's head out of her backpack by its hair and dropped it on Vallis' desk. "Where's my reward?"

Vallis gestured to his assistant, a lanky peasant boy swimming in his chainlink armor. The boy set a small pouch of gold in each of their hands. Aly dumped hers out on the desk and counted it right there. It was only half of what she was promised.

"Where's the rest?" She asked.

"You'll get it after you run another little errand for me." Vallis leaned back, trying to focus on her, but his gaze kept getting drawn back to the blank stare of the head before him. "I need you to visit the Graveyard and locate Commander Tann. I've sent two men -"

"Three," his assistant corrected.

"- to find him and none of them have returned."

Aly stared at him, her anger dormant in her stomach. She wanted to laugh. Instead she shook her head. "I'm not doing anything for you."

"Yes you are." Vallis said as she turned on her heel. Aly opened the door and stepped out. "Because if you don't, I'll put the word out that you're a traitor to the people of Neverwinter and you won't be able to go anywhere."

She paused, her foot halfway out the door.

"Also because I have a suspicion that whatever is going on there, it's odd that it should happen so close to your arrival. You are quite the mystery. Coming along with a dwarf and a demon, borderline all-powerful. I don't suspect that everything going on is a coincidence, do you?"

Aly closed the door and turned back to face him.

"So, you can either tell me what you know, or you can go hunt down my men for me."

"I want double." The anger began to boil up in her voice. When he didn't respond, she stepped closer, looming over him. "Make no mistake, Vallis-"

"Lieutenant Vallis," his assistant corrected.

"- I don't want to see Forte Locke razed to the ground, but more than, I am not in your militia. I am not yours to bark orders at. Least of all after you've stiffed me. So if you want my help, you will pay me the full amount those posters promised."

"Leave, then. See how Highcliffe treats you after I tell them you're responsible for the deaths of these poor farmers and refugees." Vallis smirked at her. "Or what horrible fate might befall West Harbor if-"

Alysanna suddenly burst out laughing. "West Harbor has a better militia than you do right now." She leaned closer to him, her knuckles white on the desk. "You and your men wouldn't survive the road there."

His gaze didn't falter, but Aly sensed she won the exchange.

"Give them the rest."

"But, Lieutenant..."

"That's an order." He said.

The assistant stared at the floor as he handed Neeshka a second pouch. He put Aly's on the desk next to her hand.

"I hope we'll have enough gold in the reserves to feed the refugees next week." Vallis said. "Now get out of my sight."

Aly slid her map across the desk, and Vallis hastily opened it and marked the location of the graveyard.

She was deciding what to do with him when he stiffed her again.

"Five hundred." Vallis said when he handed it back to her.

"One thousand." Aly said.

"Six hundred, that's two for-"

"One. Thousand." She insisted. She shrugged at him. "I have no idea what I'm about to walk into."

"Fine. Now go."

Aly folded her map and put it away. Neeshka was already halfway out the door.

The last time Abalyth set foot in the docks was back when she sought the cockatrice feather to cure the Wailing Death. That was before it had any militia presence, the district had been overrun with pirates and greedy adventurers seeking fortunes.

Before Aribeth's betrayal.

 _Before many things_. She clipped her cloak to her glistening white armor. It flowed down to her ankles, blue with the Watch's sigil in white. She hadn't donned her military garb in a long time, it awakened an old part of her soul. She feltt she could bolt from her front door, out the gates and onto the trodden path outside of Neverwinter and never return.

But, no. Her duties were with the city now. Lord Nasher, the citizens of Neverwinter and the temple of Tyr.

The black gates to the docks stood open. The guards saluted Abalyth as she strolled through, giving them only a nod of acknowledgment. She was used to these formalities from watch members since she moved into the Blacklake district. Her familiarity with them did not wear away her appreciation for their respect.

She was the savior of the city, after all.

I'll take the long way. Abalyth decided as she walked in the center of the main road. People stared, and most of them tried to at least appear discreet about it. Still, with each step she took towards the ocean, it seemed the whispers grew louder. She sensed them in the air like building shadows swirling around her.

A shout caught her attention. Down a side alley she was passing, someone was being robbed. A watchman stood, ignoring the assault. It was too loud for him to be unaware of its occurrence.

"Stop!" Abalyth shouted, then ran between the two buildings. The assailant only was able to glance at her for the briefest moment before a ray of blinding white light washed over him. It stung his eyes and knocked him on his butt.

She spotted the victim, clutching his side where the man stabbed him. She laid her hand upon the wound and invoked her god to save this man, and he was healed.

"Thank you," he gasped out as he grabbed her arms. He squeezed his eyes and opened them slowly, trying to let his eyes slowly readjust after the shock of light. Once she confirmed he could stand on his own, the Paladin hoisted the assailant onto his feet and wrestled his arms behind his back.

"Guard!" Abalyth shouted towards the alley entrance. The party of three jogged over. "Give me your shackles." She ordered, struggling both of his wrists into one of her hands, she held the other out to receive them.

The man furthest to the left handed his set over to her. She clasped them on and pulled the man to his feet.

"What's this?" His red eyes watered.

"You're under arrest for assaulting this man." Abalyth held him out towards the three guards. "Take him in to the holding cell until I arrive, please."

As the guards took the man, she sensed a waiver of their hearts. Where once she sensed a close bond among the three of them, she felt a jolt tear through, leaving each of them now wholly uncertain.

Abalyth turned back to the victim. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Gerald." He said, his eyebrows furrowed together above his widened eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened here, Gerald?" Abalyth focused her energy on her aura, creating an atmosphere of comfort and safety.

"I was..." he blinked at her. She sensed him wracking his mind, but she couldn't tell if he was looking to recall, or to fabricate. "He just ran outta… out of that door, there." He pointed. "Told me to give him my gold. I said… no, no, Gerald Marward doesn't t-tolerate thievin'! Then he lunged… lunged at me." he gestured to his side.

"Is that your name, Gerald Marward?"

He nodded.

"Do you know this man?"

He nodded. Abalyth sensed panic. "I mean, no." he shook his head and smiled at her. "Sorry, this all is just still … settling in."

"Are you certain that you have no relation to the person who stabbed you?"

"No. I mean, yes." He shook his head then waived his finger at her. "You did that on purpose to confuse me, didn't you?"

"No," she shook her head.

He let out a doubtful laugh, then patted her on the upper arm. When he pulled his hand away he nearly flinched. "Thank you for your help, Champion." He drew out the 'ch' for an unusual amount of time. "B-but I really feel so much better now. Yes. If that's all?"

"Will you be pressing charges?"

"Oh absolutely not."

She maintained a calm composure, but now he was fighting her influence. His struggle against her aura manifested as a stutter. When he touched her, he felt her influence stronger, and it was now that Gerald realized he needed to escape her presence.

"Why absolutely not? The man stabbed you." she asked.

"Isokay!" He slurred, taking a step away from her. "I was asking… asking for… it-t-t-t-t." He clenched his jaw. Another step, he pulled his lips into a tight smile. "Are- are we … done here, Ch-Champion?"

"Yes." Abalyth dissipated her aura immediately, and Gerald felt like a puppet whose master just dropped the strings. "You may go." she said, and watched him walk, then run around the corner.

By the time she returned to the main road, he was long gone.

The event had shed a light over those swirling shadows, penetrating their ranks. As a crowd began to form (word spread fast around this district, always has) along her path, Abalyth made a point to make eye contact with as many people as she could.

Few smiled at her. Most were just in awe or shock.

"What's the big idea?" a shadow in a cloak whispered to Gerald as he stood among the crowd. "Who is that woman?"

Gerald scowled, his eyes fixated on Abalyth while she scanned the crowd, making sure he stayed out of her range. "That's Champion Abalyth. I heard the rumors that she lived in Blacklake among the nobility but I've never seen her here..."

"Who is she?" The voice asked again, less amicable this time.

"Pick up a history book," Gerald spat, then he ran down the nearest alley. She was getting close.

Abalyth turned to walk along the dock, and suddenly the crowd began to disperse. Abalyth sensed the shadows looming again, but they could not touch her, for she was the light. When she arrived at the entrance to the watch tower, she took one last sweep of the people passing by, knowing those with ill intentions were very curious about why she would be gracing their district with her presence.

Aly leaned her arm against the cold wall of the crypt and rested her head against it. From her feet, Khelgar let out a deep series of lung-ripping coughs. He spat blood out onto the moss growing on the floor.

"Here!" Neeshka handed them each another flask of swirling purple liquid. "You know it's a good thing you let me swing by the merchant before we left!" She patted her pouch. Aly went to throw the empty glass bottle onto the floor, but Neeshka caught it with her tail before it hit the ground.

"Hey! We can refill those, you know!"

Aly wanted to scream. It bubbled up in her throat, threatening to explode. But she knew that if she did, the skeletons and wraiths and corpses would just reanimate again and come rushing at them in a tide of plague and decay.

And then they'd get diseased. And then Neeshka would toss them antidotes. And then the disease would return. Even with her magical heritage, whatever it was, her resilience to diseases was hardly better than none at all.

"Let me scout out the next room, you two recoop here." Neeshka vanished into a cloud of smoke before Aly or Khelgar could respond.

"Oh it's a good fight." Khelgar growled, wiping some spittle off his beard, then laughed. "I'm surprised ya haven't gone full red-eyed yet!"

"I have a bad feeling about this next room." Neeshka said. "I think whoever is in can see me, though, so I don't want to chance it. I think the Commander is in there with him."

"Alright." Aly took a deep breath. "Well, let's get on with it. I don't like being in this huge open space."

The three of them walked over to the door. Aly rushed in, axe drawn when Neeshka opened the door. Khelgar followed close behind. Their foe was at the other end of the room. He was a masked figure cloaked in black.

"Fresh materials to work with. Excellent." He spoke as Aly started across the room.

The figure lifted his hands and the corpses on the ground before him rose to their feet in response.

"Attack, my children. Let us add their corpses to our army."

-Aly hacked through the first zombie, and hit the priest hard on her upswing. Khelgar followed after taking out the other two zombies. Neeshka untied Commander Tann and passed him a sword she picked up earlier in the dungeon.

When the Shadow Priest was finally on the ground, Tann broke the ice:

"It's a miracle you came along, I was certain I'd be joining the corpses down here soon enough."

"I'm glad I came, too." Aly sighed. "Was beginning to think you were for sure a goner at this point."

"Did Lieutenant Vallis send you to find me? He must be gloating right now. He warned me not to send another patrol until we received reinforcements from Neverwinter."

"Well why didn't you wait, then?" Khelgar asked.

His face went wide with terror. "I didn't know." He said. "I didn't know what was going on, I couldn't wait, people were dying… You didn't happen to see anyone else in here have you?"

"Oh, the three other people..." Neeshka said aloud. "No, we haven't run into anyone."

"But we'll find them." Aly said. "We intend to search the entire crypt. If they are here they'll be returning with you."

"Thank you, [name], you are dismissed." Abalyth nodded to the watchman sitting in front of her. He stood up and nodded to Lieutenant Roe before leaving the room.

"He's not conflicted." Abalyth rose to her feet.

"Thank you so much for coming out to do this for me." Roe said. "I don't know what I possibly have to offer the Champion of Neverwinter, but if there ever comes a time, I would be honored to return the favor. How would you deal with this? If you were in my position?"

"I would mix up your patrol squads. Find the squads that are composed of only conflicted people, and submerge them with non-conflicted members. See which way things lean from there."

"So, the conflicted means they're traitors?"

"Not necessarily. Conflicted means there is trouble within themselves. Which means either they are taking bribe money and they don't feel good about it, or that they're upholding the law, but don't feel good about it. When their actions and their intentions do not align, I see their hearts as conflicted. Also, my presence has shaken the district up a bit. The squad who brought you that man earlier went into conflict with each other after seeing me. I do not know which way the sway is, but you know them, you watched them speak to me today. You should be able to take it from there."

"Yes, of course." Roe nodded gratefully. "I can, I will."

"Is there anything else I can do for you while I'm here?" Abalyth asked.

"You can take a patrol out of the city. I'm afraid for you. I know you are capable, but I would just feel better knowing you were escorted."

"The district has gotten that bad, Lieutenant?"

"It embarrasses me to admit it. It didn't happen on my watch, of course, I inherited this mess."

Abalyth nodded. "Step at a time. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"When you return, Champion, would you consider returning to help me further with this matter?"

Abalyth wanted to say yes. But there were more pressing matters to attend to at this time. Could she even guarantee her return? Those were not concerns for Roe.

"Of course." Abalyth nodded.

"Your input and service would be an invaluable asset to speed this whole process up."

"Absolutely. And, you have my word that I will be taking your orders, you will be regarded as my superior. I do not want to give people the impression that I am taking over the district or anything."

"Thank you." Roe said.

Abalyth fully intended on upholding those terms. _If_ she returned.

–-

As Forte Locke became clear in the distance, Commander Tann let out an audible sigh of relief. Aly looked over her at him as he took a moment to relax.

"You two alright back there?" Khelgar asked Blaine and Bruneil.

"Yeah. Thought I'd never see Forte Locke again." Blaine adjusted his grip on the makeshift carrier the party made for Garret's body.

"We really can't thank you enough." Bruneil said.

"We're not alone," Neeshka nodded up the path. Aly turned and saw Lieutenant Vallis approach with two other men.

Something in his posture and the way he carried himself bothered Aly. Even from this distance, Aly saw the crinkles around his nose and the mild annoyance in his eyes.

"Commander. It's good to see you alive and well. I'm sure you'll have a report ready once you return to the fort." Vallis began, ignoring Aly completely. He looked behind her to the injured men, where his eyes settled on Garret. He didn't seem impressed.

The Commander stepped forward, meeting him on the path.

"That I will, Lieutenant. We have much to discuss. Assemble the officers. I'll be with them shortly."

Vallis was unmoved. "You will report directly to me, and I shall brief the officers. I'm relieving you of duty."

"What?" Bruneil and Blaine muttered together.

Aly let a short chuckle out and rolled her eyes. _He has no idea what's going on_.

"What's gotten into you? I've given you your orders. Now carry them out." Commander Tann pressed, somehow he looked a little taller now.

"I am the commander of Forte Locke now, Tann. You will brief me, then return to your quarters, or I will have you arrested for insubordination."

"Now wait just a-"

"Hush, Khelgar." Neeshka snapped.

The two guards who were stationed on either side of Vallis were staring at Aly, who was now alert, no doubt wondering if they could take her.

 _You can't_ , Aly thought, as thought they could somehow read her mind. She locked eyes with the bald man on the left. He stared back, unmoved. He was loyal to Valis, probably for money rather than any sense of loyalty.

"With all due respect, Lieutenant, you don't know what we-"

"This matter does not concern you." Vallis spoke to the injured men.

"The hell it doesn't!" Blaine yelled.

"Tann is under my protection." Aly stepped up next to Commander Tann. "I didn't rescue him just so you could hurt him more."

Vallis glared at Aly with such displeasure it made his lips puker. "I am not about to watch the garrison fall apart again because of you, Tann." His face became pink. "The loss of three patrols-"

"You have no idea," Aly snapped. "You have no idea what was going on there. The men were as prepared as they could have possibly been!"

"If you have an issue, you can bring it up with my superiors." Tann said.

The other guard shifted where he stood, drawing Aly's attention. He was less enthusiastic about the unfolding scene, and looked barely older than she was… Aly got the feeling she had seen more battle already in her short journey than he had his whole life.

"Enough of this. Men, arrest him! If he resists, use any force necessary to subdue him."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Aly lifted her axe. She sensed her two companions were also poised, ready to draw. "It's been a long day, and I'm really running out of patience."

Vallis regarded her from behind his high-pointed nose. "You think you can intimidate your way through the law?"

His threat had no effect on Aly. She sensed he cared about as much for the law as she did.

"Are you a fool, Vallis? If, maybe, all you were facing was the Commander, the odds might be even!" Khelgar laughed.

"What about you two?" Aly asked the guards. "You willing to die for this man's authority?"

The two guards shared an all-too-telling glance.

"See, Vallis. Ordering men around is one thing. Leading them is something different. Guards, arrest the Lieutenant. We'll deal with this back at the fort."

"You would _dare_ arrest the son of House Anton?!" Vallis drew his sword as the guard on his right started towards him. Before the guard could get a hold of him, Vallis ran him through with his sword.

The red blade stuck out of the center of his back. Blood spurted from his mouth all over Vallis' armor.

Aly stepped forward, axe up, ready to cleave Vallis in half. The second guard grabbed Vallis sword arm and twisted it around behind his back, making him drop his weapon.

Aly stopped and lowered her weapon as Vallis went to his knees, struggling with the guard. Commander Tann approached and ripped the badges of honor and position from Vallis' chest piece.

"You will pay for this, Commander." Vallis scowled at him before Aly. "All of you will!"

Aly would have taken the threat to heart, had the man not already been shackled.  
"Tann, are you-"

"Take him to the gallows." The Commander ordered. "Threatening your superior is an act of treason, Vallis."

Aly felt the blood leave her face, she felt rooted to the spot. Just for that, his impassioned display and this man was to lose his life? No trial or anything? Was Commander Tann's ego truly that fragile?

"I'll see you back at the Fort." Tann yelled over his shoulder at Aly and her companions.

The injured solidiers made their way past Aly. "Suppose you don't have to stay in the front anymore." Bruneil smiled at her. She realized he was the same height as her as she smiled back at him.

"We'll catch up." Aly said to him.

Once they were out of ear shot, they stepped up to Aly. "You okay?"

"He's just going to hang him." Aly said.

"He shouldn't have shot his mouth off." Neeshka shrugged.

"He shouldn't have killed that guard. Or challenged Tann." Khelgar added, but he knew that Aly was inserting herself in Vallis' place.

"He was stupid. You don't talk like that without having the muscle to back it up."

"He thought he did." Aly muttered, staring at the corpse of the guard. "Let's go." She marched up the path.

Before taking leave of the fort, Aly caught herself staring at the swinging body of Vallis. Just moments ago his face was all crinkled up with fury, rage, life. How ready he had been to seize power and act, and how quickly Tann had snuffed him out.

It pleased some part of her. Vallis wasn't fit to rule, anyway. He was too self serving. _People in power shouldn't be like that_ , Aly thought, _they shouldn't be greedy._

 _They should be mercenaries._

Suddenly, a dry laugh came out of her. On a whim, Aly grabbed her canteen of mead and poured a mouthful onto the ground before the gallows.

"Thanks for the lesson." She said to Vallis' pale corpse.

Khelgar stared at the wasted puddle, shaking his head. That man wasn't worth the mead. Oh, sure, he'd pour out tankards for his kin, but they were his brothers, stood by him while he fought! Those were the sort of folk you did that for. Not trecherous leeches.

"Come on, before someone else decides to hire us." Aly turned towards the exit of Forte Locke once more.


	8. Elanee & The Maiden's Glade

It didn't take the three travelers long to become bored of walking.

"I'm so glad I traded up my boots back there." Neeshka stretched. "My old ones would have fallen off by now."

"What other upgrades did you get for us?" Aly asked. She was grateful for the topic, talking would make the time go by faster.

"A bunch of various potions, guy was having a sale."

"That so?" Khelgar raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, what did he call it again? Oh yeah, the five-finger discount sale."

Aly chuckled to herself, but Khelgar just smirked and shook his head.

The path to Highcliffe grew thick with overgrowth the longer Alysanna and her companions walked. After Neeshka was done going over their supplies and new items, they argued over how to split the useable goods until Aly came up with a solution.

"Let's play a game." She said. "Neeshka did buy them. So maybe if we can give her something in exchange, she'll let us pick one. Ask me anything." She held her hands up.

"Really?" Neeshka asked. "Okay, um… Why are those things following you?"

"I don't know for sure." Aly said. "But I have some suspicions."

"Like?" She pressed.

"That's one item from the bag, let's take a look." Aly insisted. Neeshka handed her the bag and kept her eyes on Aly's fingers.

"My turn." Khelgar spoke up.

"Why are _you_ going to Highcliffe?" Neeshka asked him.

Khelgar gestured to Aly. "I'm followin' her!"

Aly laughed as she handed him the bag.

"But _why_?"

Khelgar plucked out a purple vial, then another. "Because she's a good fighter, I like fighting and we're heading in the same direction. She's got a fight every two feet! Makes travelin' more fun."

Neeshka snatched her bag back from him and pocketed a potion for herself.

"You gotta let both of us ask you something for that one." Aly said. "Come on, play along. It's fun!"

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Have you ever kissed a dwarf?"

Neeshka and Khelgar both froze in their tracks and glanced at each other as Aly walked on. They both burst into an awkward laugh at the same time and ran up to her.

"What?" Neeshka asked when she caught her breath.

Aly shrugged innocently, amused. "Have you ever kissed a dwarf?"

"No." Neeshka said, her voice turned up in an indignant twinge. "No."

"You're missing out!" Khelgar joked. "What kind of a question is that?"

"You're not the one handing out potions!" Aly teased.

"Fine, have you ever kissed a dwarf?" Neeshka asked.

Khelgar was shaking his head and muttering to himself, averting his gaze to the fields around them.

"Yes." Alysanna answered. "Khelgar was right, you _are_ missing out."

The path began to narrow as they approached the woods.

It was only the three of them and the wilds. It reached over the path, stretching for their boots. Khelgar stared down at them, his hand over his axe, waiting for them to twitch to life at any moment. Aly kept her axe drawn and ready, scanning the bushes around them. What she wouldn't give for a direwolf to spring out at her. Something to get her blood pumping!

"No place to run this time, Kalach-Cha. That which you have stolen – hand it over, and we will let you live." goblinoid

"This is getting tiresome, lass. What's so important about that blasted thing that has them chasing us all over Faerun?"

Aly said nothing, her eyes glued to the spikes that seemed to part of the goblin's body.

"Hand the shard over now," he spoke again in that awful, raspy voice. "Or we will take it from your corpse!"

"And we were just getting to know each other." Aly said. The companions at her sides drew their weapons in response.

"Fool… I shall enjoy killing you."

But before the monsters could rush at them, a voice echoed in the valley. A light shot into the sky and down over them. Vines burst from the ground, ensnaring their feet in a thick tangle of webs. The wrapped around the leader's ankles, and up his legs.

"Why are you still looking at me?" He hissed at this frozen comrades, who were staring at woman who was now running down the hill behind them, a badger flopping along behind her. "Attack!" he screamed desperately.

Aly cleaved one dwarf before he even saw her coming. Once they were all dead, they all turned to another.

It was the new elf woman who spoke first. "You walk a strange path for a Harborman. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has a problem with it."

"What business of yours is it?" Aly snapped. "The kind of path I walk. Who do you think you are?"

"I watch all within the Mere, but occasionally observe those who stray from it, as you have."

Neeshka and Khelgar exchanged a glance with each other, but Aly's eyes were fixated on every detail of the elf's face, straining to remember if they've met previously.

"How long have you been following me?" She asked. "And why?"

"Well, at first I was following those who attacked you. But I saw them follow and attack you a dozen times over… which leads me to believe that you have something they want."

"I don't think so." Aly shook her head.

Khelgar smirked as Neeshka cast a sidelong glance at the side of Alysanna's head.

"Come on, we've got a boat to catch." Aly started walking.

"I thought that perhaps my enemy's enemies would at least welcome some company to their destination – Highcliffe, right? - and even get there faster than you would without me. I know the trails of this land. I can get you to Highcliffe by nightfall."

"I don't think so." Neeshka suddenly stepped towards Alysanna. "We don't know these paths, it could be a trap. Come on, we can take these monsters just fine without her. And there's already a nice well traveled path right to Highcliffe. No risk of running into any bandit parties – you know since we offed that leader they're pro-"

Aly turned around to face Neeshka. She almost whispered. "I know where you're coming from, but I'd much rather have her with me, where I can keep an eye on her, than behind me."

Neeshka nodded once after a long pause.

"What's your name?" Aly asked the elf.

"Elanee."

* * *

It wasn't long after Alysanna left Forte Locke that Abalyth left Neverwinter. Vitani hadn't specified where they were to meet, but she knew her sister. If she just started down the path, she'd pop out after a few rows of trees.

But Vitani didn't pop out of a tree, she was leaning against one right on the path. A hawk was perched on the branch over her head. It looked to Abalyth like Vitani was talking to it, even tho the wild elf's dark eyes were fixed on Abalyth… even from such a distance.

As the distance between them began to close, Vitani let the bird on her arm and leaned close to its head. It took off, bursting through the treetops. Leaves fluttered to the ground, except for one, which landed right on top of Abalyth's snow-white head. The time away from one another desensitized her to the splendor of her sister's talents.

"You should have packed lighter." Vitani said, plucking the leaf. She spun on her heel and fell in step next to Abalyth. After a few paces, Vitani let out a genuine chuckle. "This feels nostalgic and all, but it would take too long for us to get there walking. I made us a portal."

"To where?"

"Just to outside the portal."

"Didn't you say there was a villiage?"

"West Harbor, yes."

"That's where the portal should have taken us." Abalyth insisted.

"Why?"

"Because we are about to break the seals on her crypt."

"Bend the seals." Vitani corrected.

"We are _weakening_ the seal. Which means she can get out. Which means she'll probably murder them first chance she gets."

The elf shook her head. "Too predictable, she wouldn't do it like that."

Vitani turned suddenly off the path, gliding over the crevice between two tightly wound tree trunks as smoothly as water. Abalyth walked around them. She had worn her lighter chainmail to travel in, just in case they ran into some trouble. But she had brought along her full suit in her pack, to put on before she went in. It was also just easier to sneak out of Neverwinter if you weren't in a full suit of armor ready for battle.

"I didn't set it up too deep," she said, "just deep enough to be hidden from the track. It is one-way, though. I have another one set up there that will take us to Highcliffe, where we can figure out our next move."

"Sounds good." Abalyth said as she shoved some tree branches out of her way.

"We are here." Vitani walked around a thick oak tree and nearly disappeared all together. "Lay your hands on this part of the trunk."

"I remember." Abalyth yanked her hands away and set them on the trunk.

Vitani muttered an incantation and the world began to spin. The ground pulled Abalyth against it, but she remained standing. She gasped for breath as the force intensified, her mind melding through the land, molded by its cracks and hills until at once it released her back into her own body. But it was much darker in this bog than it was in the forest.

"This place has been touched by shadow." Vitani said when Abalyth looked up at the sky. "The clouds in they sky linger over it. Trees grow high and wide. It is part of the growing evil I told you I sensed."

And right before them, the old Illefarn temple. It was black with growth and decay. Sticks held it to the ground. In another hundred years, it would be claimed by the swampland. At least, by Vitani's calculations.

A cold shiver ran up Abalyth's spine, making her chain armor rattle. "So much evil." she muttered, admiring the age of the building. When she touched it, she could feel the vibrations of the enchantment within the stone itself.

An image flashed in her mind of her dark sister walking the halls, cloaked in shadows. Tasida smiled at her. _It's been too long_. Tasida's serpentine hiss of a voice filled her head. _Have you come to congratulate me?_

* * *

Neeshka grew more impatient with every step, it seemed. At first she was silent, her dark eyes fixated heavily on every move Elanee made, squinting. To her, Aly and Khelgar didn't seem all that concerned about the dense woods. Finally, she had to speak up.

"This is a long way from the road, are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Agreed." Khelgar groaned. "How much father is this place?"

But it was only a few additional steps until the growth thinned out, revealing a hidden clearing. "We are already here." She beamed at Aly. "Welcome to the Maiden's Glade."

A howl pierced the sky, followed by a snarl and a yelp. Elanee became concerned immediately, staring off towards the source of the noise. "Something isn't right," she said.

"I knew it." Neeshka muttered, drawing her daggers.

"Something is wrong with the animals."

Just then a pack of four wolves emerged from over a nearby hill and rushed at the group. Their eyes burned red, their fur was matted and bloodstained. They stared, wide-eyed, starving at Elanee.

"Come on, then!" Khelgar yelled at the wolves as they came within striking distance.

Elanee leaned over the corpse of the largest of the four dead wolves, examining it. Aly was looking, too, but it seemed their bodies were too ill to utilize.

A shame.

"The animals here are frightened, and I know not why." Elanee rose to her feet.

"That didn't look like fright to me." Neeshka said. "That looked like... crazy."

"They're animals," Khelgar shook his head and kicked one of the bodies, he could have sworn he saw it twitch. "They're probably just protecting their land."

"No, the animals here should be aware of our presence." Elanee continued looking around, taking slow steps deeper into the glade.

"Looks like disease. Or plague or something."

"I need to figure out what's happened." Elanee insisted.

Aly pinched her nose and sighed before continuing down the path. "Look, Elanee – I'm empathetic to the situation but I just don't have time. I need to get to Highcliffe. I can't afford any more set backs."

"I understand." Elanee nodded and bowed her head before falling in step behind her leader. Khelgar pushed in front of her, to walk next to Aly.

"Think we should stay and see what's up." He said to Aly. "Might be related to your followers."

Aly did genuinely wish she could, but she couldn't ignore the nagging in her gut which told her she wasn't far enough from West Harbor. She lingered too long in Forte Locke. Whatever was going on, things only were made worse by her presence regardless of her intentions. She had to get behind the safety of Neverwinter's walls.

"I wish I could, Khelgar." She said to him. "But it's better for me to stick to my path."

More parties of animals came at them – dire wolves and badgers, hissing and howling with their glowing, insane eyes. The party cut them down easily, but with heavier hearts at each blow.

As they approached the final clearing, where Elanee told them the path to Highcliffe would pick up, they all froze at the sight of a humongous bear. It was groaning as it clawed at the corpse of a wolf. It tore off the animal's flesh and tossed it onto the ground, not even consuming it.

"Oh," Elanee's face twisted in concern.

Alysanna, on the other hand, was delighted for such an opportunity. The beast was much larger than her, probably the largest thing she's ever seen. Killing it would be quite an achievement. She heard her group muttering but wasn't listening to their words. With her axe in hand, she rushed at the bear, screaming her barbaric battle cry.

Khelgar was quick on her heels.

The bear roared at Aly when he sensed her, and immediately backhanded her with his massive claws. She buried her weapon into its arm as it pinned her to the ground, its open mouth going right for her head.

Neeshka was suddenly there, dagger stabbed right through the fleshy floor of its mouth. It clamped down on her arm, and Neeshka buried her other dagger in its neck, stabbing frantically while Khelgar was bludgeon its tree-trunk legs.

Elanee had been focusing on vitalizing Alysanna. When she stepped into the view of the dying bear, it seemed to lose interest in the four fighters.

"Elanee?" It spoke. Blood poured from its mouth onto Aly's armor.

"Kaleil?" The elf seemed baffled.

The bear got up and hobbled over to face Elanee. Neeshka helped Alysanna to her feet.

"I came here, came to try and find you, Elanee… to try and escape the Mere. To seek refuge here."

"The Mere? What is wrong?"

"It speaks with different voice now… its waters, once clear to the Circle, are now dark … and run deep, so deep."

"What do you mean? Where are the others, the rest of the circle?"

"Vashne and the others… they are lost. Only you remain… I thought I could find you, or Naevan… but what claims the Mere overtook me… clouded my vision with shadows and blood trapped me in this form. Do not return to the Mere Elanee. Or you shall fall to its corruption as I did."

With a final grunt, the bear collapsed under its broken legs and lay still.

"I… Kaleil, he's dead. It was he that caused such unrest here and why the animals attacked us."

"What was he saying about a Mere? A Circle?" Khelgar asked.

"I don't know, I've been away from the Circle for some time." Elanee's voice dropped. Then she shook her head. "Kaleil and I were part of the Circle of Meredelain, the Mere of Dead Men." She began. "I the elders, Vashne and Naevan… the others, if they're lost..." she seemed to fold into herself, her mind running away with possibility. "I have been away too long." She seemed to pull herself back together. "We should press on."

"Agreed." Neeshka said.

"I promised to lead you to Highcliffe and this path has already proved longer than I wished."

Aly wanted to offer the druid some comfort, but had none to give. Besides, it seemed she wanted to get away from this glade and whatever was plaguing it, so instead Aly just nodded.

"Let's get out of here first and I'll patch you up. Highcliffe is close, but it's still not good to travel with open wounds. It won't take long."

Then Elanee bent down next to the body of the bear and placed her hand on its head. She stroked its fur and muttered to it. Even in death, the beast seemed to be more at peace.

The group traveled in silence, few words were exchanged even when they made their short pause to tend their wounds. Elanee would occasionally pick at the plants they passed, or run up a tree to follow overhead, watched carefully by Neeshka, who would bristle up with alert whenever she lost sight of her. But Elanee always came back, or would should directions to them as they went along.

Ahead, Aly spotted a huge golden hawk perched on a signpost that pointed to Highcliffe. Its fierce eyes stared pointedly at Elanee. Suddenly, it spoke, its voice a whispering hiss: " _She's with me now_."

Elanee stepped up to the hawk, there was the faintest hint of Vitani's voice interwoven with the bird's words. " _Stay_ _with the Barbarian_. _I'll find you_."

"You always do." Elanee chirped back at the hawk, which then flew off down the path the adventurers came.

"What was that?" Aly asked.

"Just a message from a friend." Elanee said, relieved they could not understand. She didn't feel like explaining, and it wasn't really her place to do so. She felt the glare of Neeshka's distrusting gaze on the back of her head as she continued down the path.


	9. West Harbor's Warning

Abalyth couldn't keep her hand on the temple bricks long enough to hear anything more Tasida had to say.

"What is she talking about?"

But Vitani didn't have an answer, both of her hands were grasping at the wall, her head was tilted in focus. When Abalyth watched long enough, it appeared as though Vitani's skin was merging with the cracks in the temple. With the dry crack of a twig snapping in half, she yanked her hands away.

"She says she got… married." Vitani blinked slowly. "But I've been watching this place. And the seals aren't broken."

"She might be lying to rile us up." Abalyth suggested. "Maybe the age and solitude made her mad."

"I know she's evil, and all, but she is a brilliant sorceress."

Abalyth glared at her sister with an expression of pure disgust. "Brilliance is not the word I would use to describe the tactics one used to commit mass murder."

Vitani sighed. "She knows worlds more than we do, and she can do magic at the speed of thought." She shrugged at Abalyth. "I've been here, Abalyth. The entire time. If someone was coming and going that much I would have noticed. And -"

"I believe you." Abalyth raised her hand to silence her. "It doesn't matter. We need to figure out what's going on either way." She scanned the swamp and saw a glowing orange light in the distance, like a torch.

"Those are just there." Vitani said. "The West Harbor crypt is where the people bury their dead. It's very close to here, but, they keep the torches lit always so people know the way."

About halfway through her explanation, Abalyth began walking towards the light, and was surprised to see that not once did she have to step over water to get there. In only several strides, she found herself right in front of the crypt. To her left, the path that led right to West Harbor.

"Abalyth, don't." Vitani warned. They may have been separated a long time, but she still knew the way her sister thought.

"Vitani, yes." Abalyth pressed. "These people have the right to know. To prepare."

"For what?" Vitani asked. "For an enraged half-demon, half-dragon woman who is hell bent on attaining godhood, who might actually succeed- oh, but we're just about to go weaken the bonds that keep her from, you know, destroying your entire town. Good luck if she breaks out!" Her head was shaking.

"I thought she would never do that?" Abalyth mocked in response. She wasn't usually the type to get down in the dirt, but something about Vitani just made her that way.

"No one can prepare for Tasida. And it's not fair of us to go disrupt their lives unnecessarily if there's nothing that can be done."

The Aasimar's lips tightened. "This is not a negotiation."

"You're right, it's not." Vitani snapped.

In the silence, the frogs began singing again. A firefly lit up right next to Vitani's pointed face and flew away from them in a swirl.

"It is the lesser of the evils to let them live in bliss." Vitani explained. "She might not do anything to them at all, then they'll be frightened forever with that looming over their heads. We might get captured or arrested for breaking in if they know!"

"It's not against the law to-"

"Oh, gods, Abalyth – we are not in the city! If we tell them about Tasida and that 'oh yeah she never actually died like you heard in the stories she's actually alive, it's impossible to kill her because she's actually a demigod and-"

"That is so unnecessary, what you're doing right now."

"- we are going to free her! But don't worry, you'll be fine!" The sarcastic smile dripped off of her face and she stared unamused at Abalyth. "Just like the plague victims were."

Abalyth shook her head stubbornly. "There has to be someone we can tell. Someone who's maybe… more understanding? We don't have to tell the whole town but we really should tell just someone. In case. The Harbor… mayor?"

Instead of giving a straight answer, Vitani nodded towards the town and began walking. As Abalyth fell in step, Vitani drew her bow and knocked an arrow. "Swamp beetles all over here. Most of the time they're docile, but, getting more aggressive every day. There's two people we are telling."

"At least two."

"Tarmas, residential wizard. He might have more information, and be best chance of survival for the villiage in case this goes wrong. The other is a scout named Daeghun."

Silence once again hung between them as Abalyth eyed the back of her head suspiciously. "What's so special about this... Daeghun? There must be a town priest of some kind? Town militia leader?"

"Daeghun is an ex-adventurer, like us. He knows the land very well and I suspect he's detected my presence around the village."

"Wait, you haven't met these people?"

Vitani's nose wrinkled up. "Of course not. It's a human settlement."

"We'll use my influence, then." Abalyth realized. She thought she saw something move in the distance so she stopped to look, but saw only the swamp. It was beautiful, in its own way. The stillness of it was picturesque.

"Yeah, as if that could have been avoided."

* * *

Alysanna and her group finally made it to Highcliff, an hour or so still before twilight. There was a loud ruckus near the docks, and when they all finally descended the staircase that took them to to the beach, they discovered why.

Huge lizardmen climbed up the outside of the boat. They clawed violently, until planks of wet wood shot down into the sea. Screams erupted. People were thrown into the water as the lizards arrived on the deck. Aly ached to help them, so she drew her axe and ran for the boat.

She stopped at the end of the dock, her friends in hot pursuit, and dropped her axe. Neeshka caught it before it could fall into the water.

"You dropped this." she said when she handed it back.

After helping the survivors get to shore, Aly spoke with the dockmaster about the event. Apparently, Highcliff developed a recent monster infestation and the town leader, Elder Mayne, was offering a generous award to anyone who could put an end to it. So off they went, down to the last operating farm to get more information and back again to finally sit down.

In a corner booth next to the roaring fireplace,

Alysanna sat with her back to the wall, across from Neeshka, staring at the cold mead in her hands.

"What is it?" Elanee asked.

"Hm? Oh." Aly sat up. "It's just that it feels too late to be starting up with the lizards and dungeon crawling." They all nodded in agreement and ate in silence.

Aly was only on her second drink when the Inn door burst open and a hysterical woman came rushing in. Everyone looked up from their plates and watched as she nailed a paper to the wall. Next to it was another board overflowing with "Wanted: Reward" posters.

The hysterical woman pointed at the paper with a slim, damning finger. "Five hundred gold to anyone who returns William!" She yelled. "That coward just up and walked out on me after I told him I, I-" her knees buckled just in time for Elder Mayne to come through the door and catch her fall. He groaned and a younger man stepped up to help.

"What's happened?" everyone was wondering, looking around at each other for answers. Some of those glances lingered a little too long on the strange new party passing through.

"Juni, just breathe." the Elder encouraged as a fresh batch of tears began streaming down her puffy pink face.

"I can't do it by myself." She was sobbing as they escorted her out of the inn. A few stragglers got up to pursue the commotion but Aly could hear the Elder shooing them all away.

"That poor woman." Elanee said.

"She expecting?" Khlegar asked, he was probably the only one in the inn who continued to eat through the disruption.

"Sounded like it." Neeshka replied, and chuckled as she turned back to them. "Hahaha, and that's why I'm never having kids. You can't trust anybody these days."

Aly stood up suddenly and walked to the wall. She stopped in front of the poster and after skimming it, ripped it off of the wall.

"Should we follow her?" Elanee asked the others.

"Nah. She'll come back if she wants us." Khelgar said before slamming his mug on the table to summon their waitress.

"You're the one with the wayward husband?" Alysanna approached Juni outside. She was standing now and her face was dried. She was pacing, but was stunned to stop when Aly approached. She supposed staring like this might have been rude, so she tore her eyes to the flyer clutched in her hand.

"Yes! Yes, that's me." Juni raised her frail hand quickly.

"Alysanna, right? This is a bad-"

"It's a fine time, thank you. Are you going to help me?"

"I'd like to. Do you have any more information about where he might be?"

Juni took a fast, deep breath and launched into a vivacious summary of the entire history of her and William, from the day they met running through Mister Davhorn's cabbage patch on the edge of town, to their dramatic youth, to their wedding day and then, finally, to today when he walked out just a few hours ago.

"He says I've gotten _shrill!_ Can you believe it?"

"You're expecting?" Aly asked.

"Walked out on his responsibilities, too." Juni patted her stomach.

"I grew up without one of my parents." Aly said to her. "I'm taking this personally. Help me help you."

"My husband isn't like you types that venture through here, but he wishes he was. He ain't carving his own paths out there. Where ever he is, it won't be hard to find him."

Aly said she'd head out immediately, and returned to the inn. She gazed at the board with the piles of notices and plucked a few to take back to the table.

"Khelgar ate some of your potatos." Neeshka said as Aly sat back down.

"Who wants to make some money with me tonight?" Aly dropped the flyers in the center. Neeshka snatched up the one that had the biggest reward offered, Khelgar rolled his eyes. "We should try to do some good while we're here, sure."

"Oh, this would be doing a lot of good. And for a big price." Neeshka chimed, then showed them the flyer. It was for two missing boys.

"I hope the earth has embraced them." Elanee muttered. "Or that at least the lizardmen have not discovered them."

"We don't have time to waste sittin' here talking about it, then." Khelgar stood.

Aly was listening to them while shoving the rest of her food in her mouth as fast as she could without looking too messy.

* * *

A young soldier stood at the end of the path, Abalyth and Vitani both knew he was staring at them even at this distance. There was nothing but the gray landscape of the swamp to be looking at.

Crooked in the ground next to him was a wooden sign that read "West Harbor". The text had been burned into the sign, either by a magician or a skilled craftsman.

"Don't get many visitors." He yelled down the path to them. "What brings you?"

Vitani muttered an invocation to hasten their steps.

"I am Abalyth of Neverwinter. I've come to speak-"

"Abalyth? The Champion?" His eyes went wide, amazement washed over his face as she neared.

Abalyth gave him a tight, polite smile in return. "Yes. I..."

"We heard about the attack here recently. We've come to help." Vitani interjected. He ignored her.

"What's your name, soldier?" Abalyth asked, channeling comfort into her aura to put him at ease.

"Thoben."

"Fitting name for a guard. We are hoping to speak to a couple of people from here, is there a military leader or healer?"

"Daeghun and Tarmas are the ones we want." Vitani said. Her tone was sharp enough that it broke Thoben's fixation on Abalyth and forced him to acknowledge her.

"I can't leave the post." He looked around, arching his neck to see as much into the village as he could. A man with brown hair walked by in the distance. "Hey, Bevil!" he called.

The man looked up and, upon seeing the two strangers, walked over. He didn't take his eyes off of Vitani. The other one wasn't so threatening, but there was something in those almost black eyes of the elf woman that set him on edge.

"What's your business here?" Bevil asked. His voice didn't mask the suspicion as well as he intended.

"Official business from Neverwinter. Word reached us about the attack here a few days ago, we've come to help but we'd like to speak to some town leaders. Daeghun, Tarmas-"

"It is time sensitive." Vitani added.

"Georg and Brother Merring, too." Thoben said to Bevil. "You can stay here and I'll go get them, or you can go get them."

But Bevil wasn't quite ready to run off yet. In the distance, the water rippled like a beast thrashed under its unusually still surface. All but Vitani jumped at the sudden noise.

"I wouldn't call Daeghun a village leader." He said carefully.

"He's a friend." Vitani said.

Abalyth stared at her sister, but said nothing to contradict her. Bevil still didn't seem to buy it. "You go, Thoben. I'll stay here with them."

"Yes, sir." Thoben took off, but not without a lingering last glance at Abalyth. She seemed to glow, even in a place as dark as this, with an internal radiance of white holiness. He had heard her stories, like many others, but that had not been enough to prepare him for the immense awe of standing in her presence.

"Did you run into a woman on the way here?" Bevil asked. "Tall, brawny, long red hair? Women warriors are kind of rare."

"Friend of yours?" Vitani asked before Abalyth could reply.

"Yeah. She left for Neverwinter the day of the- a few days ago. Said she was heading to Neverwinter. If you came from Neverwinter, seems you might have crossed her path."

Abalyth stared hard at him. "I'm sorry, no. But we did use some magic to get here, so, we skipped a lot of stops and haven't seen anyone."

He nodded and averted his gaze to the ground, trying and failing to hide his concern for Alysanna. "I'm sure she's fine." He said.

"Yes." Abalyth nodded. "If she's a warrior as you describe she'll have no problems on the path to Neverwinter, it's a well-traveled road."

Vitani's attention was drawn to the path behind them suddenly. She knocked an arrow and pulled her bow string back. Bevil put a hand on his sword hilt but didn't draw.

"What is it?" he asked.

Vitani remained still, scanning over the moss coated trees, waiting to find her target.

"Someone is watching us. Maybe listening." she said, then a quick glance at Abalyth. "We say no more."

When her eyes settled on the dark shadow of the old Illefarn crypt, too far to be detected by most, she sensed that was the source of the gooseflesh on the back of her neck. Now a new sensation pulled her away, the distant clanking of metal as Thoben made his return.

"They're waiting for you at Daeghun's." Thoben announced. "I can escort you there."

"That's okay, Thoben." Bevil said, "I got it."

The party of three walked in silence through the center of town. Vitani made a point to lock eyes with every single person who stared as they passed. After they crossed the bridge to the Farlong residence, Vitani hoped they would tether off but, instead, she was dreaded to see a light crowd had formed and now they were whispering among each other.

Bevil knocked twice on the door and almost immediately, a man in red and yellow robes opened the door and let them in.

"I will need to hold on to your weapons, ladies, if you're going to stay. We'll return them to you before you leave."

"Of course." Abalyth handed over her sword and hammer without a second thought.

"Your bow, please."

"She can keep it, Brother Merring." croaked a man from inside. The priest stepped aside to address Daeghun. "She's been guarding us with it for years, she means us no harm."

"The arrows, then." A dark-skinned man in the corner insisted.

Vitani handed over her quiver and stepped inside. While Abalyth observed the four men present, Vitani stalked around Daeghun's home, taking in every inch of the roomy first floor, looking for things that might be enchanted or trapped, anything that could pose a threat while they remained. Once comfortable enough, she sat on the floor next to where Abalyth decided to stand.

"What can we do for you, Champion of Neverwinter?" The man in the corner asked as soon as the door clicked closed.

"Abalyth, please. This is my..." she hesitated. Lying did not come easy to her, but she had spoken too quickly. "This is Vitani. Before this town emerged, I tasked her to watch over this land."

The four men blinked at her patiently. A balding man in blue robes sighed with impatience. "Why? And what does this have to do with the attack?"

The champion took a deep breath and centered herself, sending a final silent prayer to Tyr before beginning. "Before we say what we need to say-"

"You need to say." vitani interrupted.

"I want it to be understood that what we discuss here will remain in the strictest of confidence. You are agreeing to a holy oath in my presence, if you cannot agree you must leave. The only people who are to know about this matter are only those of us here in this room right now."

"Fine, fine, yes – go on." The balding man waved his hands about impatiently. He must be the wizard Vitani mentioned, Tarmas. Abalyth knew a few wizards in her time and most of them carried that particular brand of arrogant restlessness about them.

But she had to be sure, so one by one she received a confirmation from all four of them. While she did so, she was musing how to best breach the subject.

"The woman who was responsible for the Wailing Death and the events that followed shortly after is imprisoned in an old Illefarn ruin near your town's crypt. She's been locked dormant there for many, many years. We think she has something to do with the attack here, and we are going to open her crypt to find out."

They were all silent, staring at her while the comprehension slowly sank in. It didn't take long for Tarmas to laugh and get on his feet.

"You are mistaken." He said. "I have read those books cover to cover. There was never any mention of the plague being started by anyone. It began in a region of Neverwinter that no longer exists-"

"The Beggar's Nest." Abalyth said, and when she stared at him it seemed she fell into herself. "That's where it started." she shook her head. "Those poor people. They had no idea…"

The hoards of zombies, she could feel them again. As though they were descending upon her again. She could smell the decay in the streets, hear the gurgling of the walking dead in the distance. Her hands began to itch as she held a dying child in her arms, trying to heal her. The white light came, but the girl died. Abalyth could hear her screaming so loud, so terrible, her pale blue eyes staring wide at the starry sky, unblinking until...

"Hey," Vitani said, reaching up for her hand. She squeezed, and Abalyth recollected herself, letting go of Vitani's slowly.

"I'm sorry for Tarmas." The priest said, his gentle voice soothed Abalyth more. "If you are the Champion of Neverwinter then we all know you are the one who cured the plague."

"So you definitely know more about it than he does, no matter how many different books he's read." The man in the corner said. He wore yellow and silver plate armor.

"You're the military leader?" Abalyth asked him.

"Georg. It's an honor to meet you." His knee began to shake from the nerves he was hiding.

"How is it that you are still alive after all of this time, hmm?" Tarmas raised an eyebrow. "You know there are some very interesting theories about your lineage."

Abalyth turned her whole body to face him and channeled her inner authority.

"We are not here to discuss me, master Tarmas." She said. "I came here as a courtesy, to warn you that when we unseal this crypt it is very possible a dangerous woman will escape."

"Tiefling." Vitani corrected. She smirked from Abalyth's lack of response.

"We will, of course, do everything we can to prevent that from happening."

"How dangerous?" Brother Merring's brows furrowed together with concern.

"So dangerous it will only take t he two of them to detain or kill her should she escape." Tarmas snarked. "Otherwise, surely, Neverwinter would have sent an army to protect us, or with you."

Abalyth stepped closer to him, passing the shadow that was Daeghun Farlong.

"Are you underminding the seriousness of this threat?" Abalyth asked.

"I am stating an observation." Tarmas met her eye casually, unmoved by Abalyth's influences. "Nothing more."

"Vitani and I are more than capable to handle the prisoner. However, I did feel objection to this investigation without informing the town. We don't believe the prisoner is likely to do any harm if she escapes, but, you should probably come up with some plans and preparations in case."

"How long?" Daeghun finally asked.

"The ritual will take us a few hours, that's about it." Vitani answered.

Tarmas laughed.

Georg shook his head. "A few hours? That's hardly any time at all."

"I know." Vitani nodded. "That's why I preferred to not come here at all."

They had more questions. Abalyth sensed them bubbling up, ready to pop out of their mouths all at the same time. But they were all silenced, knowing none of those questions mattered as much as the threat.

"We can't survive another attack. We need to make our preparations immediately." Georg stood up. "Excuse me."

"Me as well, I'm afraid." Brother Merring scuttled close after him.

Tarmas sat up, as though he was going to also leave, but instead he blinked at Vitani. "Are you an actual Wild Elf?" he squinted at her as though he only just realized she was there. He tilted his head a bit and waved a hand at Daeghun, silently asking him to turn on a light. "Part dryad, maybe?"

Vitani stood up and put her hand on Abalyth's arm. "They're trying to stall us so they have more time to prepare. You said what you needed to say."

"I would like-"

"We need to leave."

Something about the way Vitani stared at her compelled Abalyth to not argue the point further, and she chose to follow along. Part of being a leader is knowing the strengths and weaknesses of not just your enemies, but also your allies. No one in existence could read people and intentions like Vitani. The Wild Elf could smell the dangerous intentions on a freshly hatched butterfly from miles away. When Vitani said it was time to leave, it was time to leave.

Abalyth would not enjoy having to draw weapons on this poor villiage.

Once they made it to the path, past the fixated, awkward eyes of Thoben, Abalyth finally had to ask. "What was it? What did you sense?"

"Hm?" Vitani frowned at her.

"In the house, at the meeting, what was it? Why'd we have to leave?"

"Because we have to see Tasida." Vitani shrugged.

It was Abalyth's turn to be confused. "Yeah, but… was it Tarmas? Was he planning to cast something or something?"

"Oh," Vitani laughed. "No, we weren't in any danger. I just didn't want them stalling us."

* * *

The last wolf yelped in pain before thunking to the ground. Alysanna wiped the splattered blood off of her face and turned to the two cowering boys. Thank goodness she came along in time to get them… she counted over a dozen wolf corpses. It's a miracle they even lasted this long.

"Th-th-thanks for helping us, stranger." the darker-haired one, Andrew, according to the flyer.

"Are either of you hurt?" Alysanna asked.

"N-no..." His bottom lip began to curl up. "You're gonna yell at us now, aren't you?"

Aly raised an eyebrow. "What? No. Just, come with us. We're going to take you back to Highcliff."

"O-okay." Andrew looked at his brother and they nodded together.

After they stripped the corpses of a few teeth and their hides, they brought the boys back to the main path.

"It was my fault." Andrew spoke up. "Da was tellin' us stories about someone he met in the Mere an' how they fought off a thousand lizardmen and evil dwarves an' stuff."

"Oh, boy." Khelgar said under his breath.

"It didn't sound all that hard, so Alex and I came out here to look for some so we could fight them too."

"And you thought..." Aly looked down at the toy in his hand. "… you'd fight them with wooden swords?"

"They aren't toys! It hurt when Alex hit me with his!"

"But it didn't kill you." Aly said.

The boy looked at the ground immediately and folded his hands behind his back.

"Go on, now." Aly nodded towards the gate of Highcliff as it finally appeared along the path. Two guards standing there waved at them and ran to meet the boys. Alysanna waved back.

"You handled that well." Elanee smiled at her. "Do you want children of your own?"

"Yikes." Alysanna shuddered. "No. I don't mind playing with them or watching them, but one of my own is… different."

"I want a whole liter of em!" Khelgar declared.

Neeshka snickered at him. "Just what the world needs, more of you."

"What about you, then?" he crossed his arms.

"The only reason I would have kids is to create the biggest bandit ring in the history of the Sword Coast! Kids have such tiny hands and have that huge innocence factor-"

"I could see myself," Elanee interrupted, "with two, small, well-behaved boys."

Something about that made Aly chuckle. Before Elanee could ask why, Alysanna suddenly pointed off the path to a clearing.

"There's a camp around that corner, let's check it out." she marched off the path.

A man was warming his hands by a crackling fire. A decently-crafted tent pitched up near him, along with a few storage bins. Whoever this man was, he meant to live here.

But Alysanna didn't need all that to know it was William. His face was on the flyer, and his balding head was so shiny it was practically a beacon.

"Who are you? How did you find me?"

"Are you William?" Aly asked.

"...Yes." he said cautiously.

"Your wife, Juni, sent me to find you."

He threw his hands up. "Damn it! I knew she wouldn't let me go without a fight." He turned his back to Aly, looking over the beautiful water to the mountains and trees before him. "But… I'm not going back. I've made my decision. This clearing will serve just as well as Highcliff for a home."

Aly blinked at him. "I was tasked with bringing you home, so that's what I'm going to do."

His mouth fell open and he stepped farther back, "I-I- here!" he pulled off his wedding ring. "T-take that to Juni, won't you?" His eyebrows raised dramatically as he held t he ring out to her. "Tell her that you… f-found my body and give her this as proof."

He placed it in the center of her hand, then retracted back from her as though she was a venomous snake coiled to strike. Aly stared at the ring, transfixed by it. William spoke but his voice was muttered, like he was talking under water. A glowing orange text scribbled along the outside of the band, and a strange ringing in the back of her head that sounded like only the kinds of mythical terrors a person in a fantasy novel might comprehend. Her fingers coiled on their own around it. Aly was wracked with a deep, heavy cough.

"Okay." She said, dropping the ring into her pouch. She waved at William and started back towards the Highcliffe gates.

"Sorry again!" William called after her.

"Are you alright?" Elanee asked Aly. Neeshka, Aly realized, was snickering.

"What happened?"

"Oh he said there was a light dazing enchantment on the ring to deter theives, but you were probably already under the effect when he mentioned it."

That must have been what he was saying when his voice was replaced by the shrieks.

"I'm surprised at you." Khelgar said gruffly. "Didn't think you'd be the type to let that sort of thing go."

Aly said nothing.

Juni saw them coming from the other side of the gate and was practically bouncing with anticipation. She settled for pacing back and forth in front of the gate until they came through.

"Did you find him?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's in a camp set up down that way along the cliff." Aly said.

Neeshka burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Ooh, that man!" Juni was nearly running.

"Also!" Alysanna said quickly, "He just gave me this." she hand put her gloves on before fishing the ring out of her pocket.

Juni swiped for it, but Alysanna held it out of her reach. "I know how pissed you are, but I'd like my reward."

"Oh, yes! Of course, here!" She nearly threw the gold pouch at Aly.

"Don't be too mean to him!" Alysanna tossed the ring to her and Juni snickered as she ran off.

Khelgar let out a surprised chuckle. "Alright, I was not expecting that!" he nodded. "Hmmph! Serves the man right, I say."

"I think on that we can all agree." Elanee nodded.

* * *

"Come on," Vitani waved her hand, directing that Abalyth sit in front of her. Between them sat a wooden bowl she crudely carved from a thick driftwood to hold the reagents that needed to be sacrificed.

They clasped hands around a blade and yanked it down, letting their combined blood spill over the smoldering bowl and the ground around them. It glowed with black light first, swirling around their feet, then it brightened through a scale of calming grays. As it approached blinding white, together, Vitani and Abalyth pressed their hands against the ancient spell charms that bound Tasida inside.

The ground trembled, and soon the temple sucked them inside.

It was dark, but Abalyth's aura emitted a strong white light that showed them only more blackness. Like they were in some kind of void.

"This is an illusion." Vitani whispered to Abalyth.

A red dot appeared in the blackness, then four more, then twenty, fifty, a hundred. The walls began to move but now they could hear the scritterings of legs and mandibles.

"Enough!" Abalyth shouted, clapping her hands together. The pulled them apart, waving her fingers out like fans before them.

Vitani was squinting. "This is an illusion, too."

But before them were only the cracked boulders that made up the walls of the temple.

Impatient, Abalyth wielded her hammer. "Tasida!" She called. It was a one-bedroom area, and while she saw there were no places for her to hide, Vitani did say this was an illusion.

Vitani pointed to the center of the room. "She's there. I can't see her but I know she's there."

The room rippled like the surface of water, but the ground remained steady beneath their feet. They moved back to back as colors and mangled shapes moved around them.

Suddenly, it was their childhood home, and there she was, sitting on mom's favorite chair. Tasida grinned falsely at them.  
"Thank you so much for coming to my engagement party!" She beamed. Strange banners appeared over the walls. A pile of wrapped boxes materialized on the coffee table between them. "I was secretly hoping you'd miss the invitation, if I'm being honest."

"This is madness." Abalyth shook her head. "We know you're not engaged."

"Now, Abby, would I ever lie to you?"

"Yes. You lie to me constantly."

"Then why don't you tell me why you're really here?" Tasida asked. "Because if I remember right, you said eternity… but suddenly, in my unweilding prison I sense a crack in your little binding spell and poof! - now here you are." She leaned close and narrowed her eyes daringly. "I know you didn't risk all of that over a joke… did you?"

Vitani stepped forward. "Hey, look, I just wanted to know if you knew anything about why the land here might seem to be dying."

She tilted her head. "I do. Oh, yes. I know quite a good many things about that."

"Great. Can we talk about maybe…you not doing whatever it is, so the land can heal itself and return to balance?"

"Oh." Tasida's smile widened. "We can talk about it."

"Are you the cause of it?" Abalyth asked, her voice calmer now.

Tasida stood up, and the illusion rippled again to an old dungeon they crawled through together. Tasida burst out of a glowing red summoning circle in a library. Behind her, a huge book with an enchanted sunbeam forever on the pages.

"No. I am not."

"Liar!" Abalyth screamed.

Tasida danced around inside the circle like a street-side cortesan.

"Yes, I am."

"Oh my gods." Vitani sighed.

"Be clear with me!" Abalyth demanded. "Are you or are you not?"

The illusion dissipated and Tasida was tied down in the chair they bound her to when they locked her up all those years ago.

Her skin was cut and bloody under the enchanted rope. Her lips held together with clean parallel stiches and her bright, glowing red tattoos glowed with her stirring rage. The rank of her clothing was almost enough to make Abalyth gag.

"Ugh." Vitani said, touching a wooden pillar to make sure it was really there. "No wonder you live in illusions, I'd probably do the same."

"You come here for questions and you don't hear my answers." Tasida said. "So I will entertain myself how I like with you until you free me."

"Wait, Abby." Vitani whispered. "Something isn't right."

Abalyth's eyes fell to a growing stone on her finger. "Is it true then, you are engaged?"

"She asks me questions and doesn't hear my answers." Tasida's hands went to her ears and clasped around her skull. "She asks me questions and doesn't hear my answers." Tasida pulled her knees to her chest and began to rock in her chair. "She asks me questions and doesn't hear my answers!" a storm swirled around them. Lightning struck the ground around them and rocks bounced away in response. The winds howled what she was chanting: "She asks me questions and doesn't hear my answers!"

Then suddenly the storm was gone. Tasida was lounging on a couch eating a batch of grapes served to her one by one by a servant boy.

"Just wait until you meet him, Abby." Tasida said, crunching on a grape hard enough to spurt juice down her jaw. "He's the perfect match for me. You will see the power-couple potential immediately."

"What's his name?" Vitani asked.

Tasida giggled like a schoolgirl and kicked her feet together excitedly. "I'm so glad you asked! It's Garius."

"We can't stay much longer." Vitani warned.

"No, you can't." The tiefling scratched her head. "I have friends coming over later."

"What friends?" Abalyth asked.

"These friends!"

The room began filling with people. They just popped into existence all around them. The more that appeared, the faster more came.

"Come on, time to get out." Vitani grabbed Abalyth's arm and yanked her away. The temple began crumbling around them while Vitani felt for the right spot on the wall to set her hand. People were crushed around them and Abalyth grunted with her instinct that spiraled in the devastation.

 _They're illusions_. She reminded herself fiercely.

"Vitani, dear." Tasida called as Abalyth slipped between the wall. Vitani looked back at her. "I'll see you soon." she waved, and then she was gone.

She was gone.

All traces of her were void, all sense of illusion evaporated into the air. Vitani's senses tingled around her skull and she strained her mind in a way she hadn't in a long time to pick up any inkling of Tasida's presence.

But she did not find one before the temple spat her out.


	10. Highcliff's Lizard Problem

The path to the Highcliff castle ruins was eerily quiet. It was once a glorious cobblestone road, winding tediously around itself, but now the cobbles were covered with red dirt and cracked with age. The grass around the bottom of the hill was lush, but as our heroes ascended, it grew brittle and gray.

"There is an evil here." Elanee gave voice to what all of them could sense.

"Yeah. Lizardmen. That's why we're here." Neeshka huffed and rolled her dark eyes. "Oh, don't look at me like that. We can all sense it. We all know. You don't need to say it."

"Sssh!" Aly stopped and held a hand up. "Listen." she whispered. They all strained their ears and looked towards the gray ruins looming over them.

"That's a fight! Sounds like lizards. The elder did say they took up in there, heh, not surprising for them to be fighting each other." Khelgar drew his weapon.

"No. I mean, yes, one of them is a lizard but what is that… that _groaning_?"

Neeshka shivered and drew out the curved alchemical silver daggers Aly made her back at Fort Lock. "Undead. Zombies, probably."

A painful hiss rang out, charging the group to run the rest of the way where they were greeted by a few croaking zombies. Their pale arms reached for Aly, fingers twitching, desperate to consume her. She lopped off their arms and heads.

There were more, so many more. A large lizard man weilding a bastard sword only glanced at them briefly before returning to fighting the half-dozen corpses that were bombarding him.

Aly charged towards him, cutting down one until she could stand back to back with the lizardman. More undead emerged from the crypts below, only to be taken out by an all-too-enthusiastic Khelgar, a dancing Neeshka or Elanee's hobbling badger companion, who she affectionately named Hobbles.

The druid herself watched from a distance, keeping tabs on the fights, ready to step in where she could to be of some use. When Aly and the Lizard got overwhelmed, she'd pull some roots from between the stones to ensnare them, buying time.

"Hells!" Khelgar's axe fell as he let out a violent cough. A zombie rushed at him but before it could attack, Neeshka swooped in with her daggers and took it out. She saw the purple sunkeness of his eyes and immediately fished a cure from her bag.

"You got diseased, quick, drink this!"

He almost didn't catch it.

When the zombies that surrounded them were all finally down, Aly and the Lizard man turned on one another, their weapons between them.

"You help Slaan. Slaan not fight you." He dropped his sword.

Aly's nose twitched as his forked tongue darted out between his tiny pointed teeth to sniff her.

"Why are the lizardfolk attacking the ships of Highcliff?" Aly asked.

"This is our land. Humans not welcome here. Chief says we attack boats, humans leave."

Neeshka blinked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Sshh." Elanee chided.

"You help Slaan rescue clan?" He pointed to the ground, where presumably his clan was trapped among more hoards of the undead. There were red gashes in his blue-green scaly skin where the animated corpses had clawed and bit him. He might have lasted out here on his own, but who knows how many more zombies waited below.

"If I do, will you take me to see your Chief?"

Elanee shook her head, but Slaan's back was facing her so he did not see. She had walked through the West Harbor crypts where the lizardfolk took up not too long ago. If history was any indication of Alysanna's intentions, nothing awaited this tribe except extermination. Having Slaan take them to the chief would only make it easier for Aly to murder them all.

Then again, Elanee thought, her leader had seemed to calm a bit since she left West Harbor. Maybe this wouldn't end in bloodshed.

"Warmblood must promise not to harm Chieftain." Slaan cautiously hissed.

"I just want to talk to him about the boats." Aly said.

His solid gray eyes narrowed as he examined her, and then he nodded. "Slaan believe you. Help Slaan save clan. Slaan take you to chief."

"Great!" Aly slung her axe over her shoulder and turned her attention to her group. "Ready for more undead?"

"Bring it on, I say." Khelgar was still smiling, looking all healed up from the little disease incident.

As Aly walked passed him, they slapped hands and the four of them started down the decrepit stairs into the dank darkness.

The door was partially open and through the black sliver, more groans awaited them.

* * *

Abalyth and Vitani stood with their hands still pressed to the temple wall. They were back outside, in the dark swampland. Their palms burned from the siphoning magic of necromancy, leaving a red glow on each of them that slowly faded.

"Damn her." Abalyth was shaking her head, her white ponytail swaying to and fro as she paced. "Why did you pull me out of there? I was so close!" Her voice cracked as she restrained her righteous anger.

"She wasn't going to tell you anything. Shadows were gathering. I sensed we were going to be ambushed. Abby, all of that was an illusion. All of it. I think even her voice was."

"That's not possible, she's not an illusionist."

"No, but she's been trapped in there for-"

"I know! I know. Lots of time to stew in her own mind and spiral..."

"And _learn_."

Abalyth's birthmarks were shining with holy light. Her aura began to siphon the moisture out of Vitani's skin, making her step away from it. Finally, the paladin calmed herself, her birthmarks dulled to their standard pale white hue.

"There is something else." Vitani said "I don't think Tasida was in there at all."

Abalyth was silent for a long moment, contemplating what that meant. "Are you sure?"

"Quite, but not beyond all doubt. She screwed with my senses somehow. But there was a moment, right before we were out when she was just… gone."

"That's not possible. We're equals, we're not supposed to be able to…"

"She wasn't lying." Vitani realized.

"Someone got her out of there, and I really don't think it was you."

Abalyth had checked that ritual herself. Vitani double-checked it. They paid some wizard with limited information to triple-check it. There was no way that Tasida should have been able to escape without one of them to undo the enchantment. They were godborn, they were immortal, some of the most powerful beings in all of-

"Probably Garius, whoever that is." Vitani suggested. "If he's really the big-bad equivalent of Tasida, who knows what kind of magic he has access to?"

"Are you suggesting he is also child of a god?" Abalyth raised her eyebrow indignantly. "And why marriage? Why corrupt a holy union like that?"

"Because she knew it would irritate you, Misses Righteous Fury."

Abalyth shot Vitani a frustrated glare, only for her to shrug back in response. "Or maybe she actually loves the guy. Who knows?"

"I need to get back to Neverwinter." Abalyth said and began to scatter the evidence of their ritual. "Who knows how long she's been out. We don't know what she's planning or-"

Vitani wordlessly cut her off with a hand and turning her head sharply down the path where she detected someone was eavesdropping, or maybe just walking...

"Who's there?" She called, but only stillness answered.

Abalyth turned her head to look but saw nothing. Vitani had vanished into the land, as she does, so the Champion of Neverwinter decided to simply wait for her return.

"Daeghun." Vitani's voice came from up the path. "What can I do for you?"

"You're still here." He said, unrattled by her presence. When Abalyth strode up to them, he barely acknowledged her. "You think this darkness has to do with this imprisoned woman, but I don't think she's the only party at play, here."

"What do you mean?" Vitani asked cautiously, already knowing the answer.

"If you have watched over this land as long as you claim, then you should already know."

"You're not the type for riddles, speak plainly if you have something to say."

"The thing these enemies wanted is gone. I suspect if this dangerous woman was affiliated with them, she is also gone. Am I correct?"

"What did they want?" Abalyth asked, but her question got swallowed up in the damp air.

"I believe so." Vitani answered.

"Then we should be safe for the time being. But you must leave here at once. You are not welcome in West Harbor."

Vitani scoffed, as if they could keep her from roaming the land as she wanted. She could be a tree they all napped under after their High Harvest Fair and they wouldn't know. She could be a long-nosed beast in the swamp and they'd walk blissfully unaware into her gaping maw. She could be the reason for a bountiful harvest and a treacherous winter. But it didn't matter. Daeghun was a gnat. Vitani was the earth itself.

"You have no such authority." Abalyth stepped in. "West Harbor is under the protection of Neverwinter and as such, will respect my position here as well as that of my companion. But fear not, Daeghun Farlong. I will instruct Lord Nasher at once to send a patrol here as an extra security measure. I don't believe we can be too cautious, and it is the least we can do for imposing."

He felt himself become affected by her righteous aura and turned away feeling peaceful.

* * *

After trudging through what remained of the castle, Alysanna followed Slaan to the Lizardfolk's lair to confront the chief, who was not at all pleased to see her. That mattered little to Aly – she just wanted to get to Neverwinter, already.

"So here's what's going to happen," She began, after he was finished chidding Slaan for bringing her. "I'm going to tell the people of Highcliff to leave you be, and you're going to stop attacking their ships. You can both share the damn land."

"Warmbloods do not listen. They go where they pleassse, crashing, smashing, burning..."

"Or," Aly continued, taking a step towards him. "I can just slaughter you and your entire tribe right now and make it easy for everyone."

Blood dripped off of the blade of her axe like the foreboding tick of a clock as she waited for his response. He lifted his long head defiantly. "Warmblood dares threaten the chief in his own hallss! This one thinks-"

"I know I can. I've done it before and I won't lose any sleep over doing it again. Is that a chance you really want to take? I hear lizardfolk are becoming a rare species these days."

But the large beast just shook his head. "Best for tribe." he nodded. "We will attack the boats no more. Once warmbloods break their end, boat attacks will continue."

"See!" Aly beamed. "That wasn't so difficult, was it? Let's go." She turned on her heel and marched passed Khelgar and Elanee. She learned by now to not make any acknowledgement of a missing Neeshka – no doubt the rogue was off picking the locks and pockets of all the hidden treasures in this reptile-infested cavern.

They walked themselves out of the lair, the eyes of a hundred lizard folk followed them from the shadows.

Aly was twitching for one of them to attack her, but grateful they didn't.

Outside, Neeshka was on the path waiting for them. The bag of holding slung over her shoulder. "You will not believe the stuff they had in there!" She squealed upon seeing them.

Aly patted her belt where the pouch had been tied and shook her head at the Tiefling. "You can't do that."

"Whaaaat? Oh come on I had to make sure I could get it all and I didn't think you'd mind if it meant more money and better gear. Aaaand!" Neeshka's arm disappeared into the pouch. "I got something extra special for you, too!" She dug around until she found it.

A silver ring with a dark blue band, decorated with silver studs. "It's a ring of regeneration! It'll replenish your health while you wear it, it's pretty handy!"

"How many of these did you swipe before deciding to share?" Aly asked, turning it over in her hand.

"Ah, you know me too well. But, none, actually, I just thought since you're always raging out and getting exhausted, which tends to leave you kinda like a temperamental dragon that woke up to a missing hoard… I just thought you'd get more out of it than us!"

Alysanna smirked and slipped it on a few fingers before finding the right fit. "Thanks, Neeshka." She said. "Now give me back my bag. I like you and all, but if you take it without asking again I'm going to mount your horns on a helmet, got it?"

"Roger!" Neeshka gave her a playful salute before falling in line with the others. Once they passed the Highcliff gates, they touched base with some of the citizens whose fliers remained unanswered and spoke with Elder Mayne about the new understanding with the lizardfolk. He was panicked, but agreed to leave them be.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Aly asked Khelgar as they headed back to the inn.

"Ale time!" They shared a laugh. There was nothing quite like finally sitting down over a cold mug and hot food after a good day's work of fighting and lining pockets.

It finally felt like Neverwinter was right around the corner, even if it would still be a few days' time before the next ship was ready to set sail.

"Maybe I'll put in an order with that blacksmith. Something to tie him up for a few days." Khelgar mused over his second chicken.

"Oh I wish there were craft benches here!" Aly said before ripping apart a steaming biscuit slathered in the chef's signature sausage gravy. "I would love to experiment on some of the more regular weapons. Elanee, who are you staring at?"

In the far corner of the room sat a cloaked figure. A bow strung across her back and her skin looked dark and strange, even from this distance.

"Hmm?" Elanee had barely touched her bowl of soup.

"That woman over there. Ever since we sat down. Do you know her?" Neeshka leaned forward.

Aly looked over her shoulder and felt the cloaked figure was staring directly at her, even though she couldn't really see her.

"I do." Elanee confessed. "She is a friend of nature. Of mine. I'd like to go speak to her, if I may."

"Who is she?" Neeshka demanded.

Elanee bowed her head and played with her napkin. "She is..."

"Now hang on!" Khelgar's elbow slammed on the table, his finger in Neeshka's face. "She's been nothing but good to us since he came along, there's no need fer ya to be so hostile about it."

"I would like to know." Aly said as Elanee looked at her curiously.

"She is my partner. I have not seen her in quite some time."

Neeshka and Khelgar's eyes went together as they both turned to Aly, waiting for her response.

"By all means," Aly gestured for Elanee to go ahead. The three of them watched Elanee slink away across the tavern and gracefully slide into the seat across from the cloaked figure.

"Ugh. Please tell me there's a brothel in Neverwinter." Aly turned back to her plate and took a huge bite out of a sausage link. "Preferably one that serves men."


End file.
